162
78
Do You Think Of Me With A Smile?
I’ve been taking a lot of time off lately from work. I have tons of vacation time. I mean tons. I could take a whole month off and still have time. So I figured this summer, dude, relax. Take some time to just chill. So Thursday, I hung out at home and took care of some CD organizing amidst 3 loads of laundry. Laundry is therapy. Quiet time. Later, we had our monthly station meeting. Lots of great things happening. Frequencies, equipment, software, range, events, etc. Should be a lot of fun going down the road. So, Friday arrived and I gave up my Eagles preseason tickets to my nephew. He has never been to the Linc, and I hate the Steelers anyway…so why not let his dad give him something to remember? It wasn’t like I didn’t have options if I didn’t go to the game. There were a few bands I could see, and Echolyn was playing in Newark, DE. So, amidst a third round of laundry, my cell phone rings. It’s our buddy Pete. Pete loves ripping on music I like, but I must say I was shocked to hear he was actually interested in seeing Echolyn. Roger loves surf music so he was in a win-win situation. How nicely this all came together. So, Roger and Pete show up, and we leave for the country of Delaware. I sit in the backseat among stacks of Roadhouse Reports, folders, clothing, and 3 week old cheesy poofs. I study my cell phone during the Phillies game against the scummy New York Mets. (we’re winning 4-1 as of now). We arrived in Delaware quicker than I imagined and headed to a bar called the East End Café. We pull up, and notice the motel next to us….I couldn’t help but think we were going to be assassinated by the creepy look of it. It wasn’t a bad neighborhood or anything, but it just had that…you know…that look. Then some guy walks buy us with a shopping cart of glass beer bottles and goes behind the dumpster and just disappears. I mean it. He just vanished. So…I started walking towards to bar to see Ray Weston walking towards me. We rapped for a minute and discussed the trip to Montreal. I am still on the fence on whether I am going or not, but I want to go. We’ll see. Anyway, I walk up to the front door and see Paul Ramsey, the drummer of Echolyn. We talked about the last show and how he had the flu real bad. Click here to read about that wonderful night. Anyway…I walk in to meet Brett’s girlfriend, guitarist of the Elk-Tones, Jacque Varsalona. Jacque is a cutie and celebrates the same birthday as me. YAY! Libras are cool. We are such artsy, smart, sensitive, brilliant people. I am a bit stuck up about that. October is the greatest month of the year. Anyway, we chatted and I realized I was starving. Like dizzy starving. I wanted to drink, but insisted on putting something in my stomach first. So, I sat next to Ray’s wife, blabbed while I ate chicken fingers. You’re probably wondering where Roger and Pete were at this point. Well, so was I. They eventually arrived by the time Echolyn started. They were the opener. They kicked off the show with Georgia Pine, and the rest went like this:
The Cheese Stands Alone
The End Is Beautiful
Segment of Mei
As The World
Brittany
Arc Of Descent
Halo (ray sabbath)
I may have missed a few. But none the less, another fine performance. The Elk-Tones took to the stage and rocked the house. Even breaking into a Dark Side Of The Moon piece with Brett on Keys. It was nice. I was buzzed…but no matter how much I drank, I wasn’t getting anymore buzzed. Throughout the night I searched for Roger and Pete. I found them outside on the deck enjoying the weather. Then they disappeared. I was still hungry. I walked to the shopping center next to the dingy hotel next door, after the midpoint in the Elk-Tones set. Here is this eerily quiet and barren shopping center with a packed pizza joint on the end. I walked down and ordered 2 slices of plain. The girl behind the counter must know everyone that comes in…she looked at me as if to say, “You’re not from around here are ya..” Then she actually asked me where I was from. Surprisingly, she grew up a mile from house before her family moved to Newark. Small world. As I sat down and ate…it reminded me of being down in Ocean City, NJ. Kids running around with slices in their hand…some looked like they were 11 years old…and its 1:30 in the morning. I thought…where are there parents? Then I stopped and said to myself, who are you to judge? Huh? You cut school, lied about where you were staying frequently on sleepovers, did horrendous things when away from home and got away with it. Shut up and eat your pizza. I walked back to the East End Café with a full belly, and yearning to head home.
You’re Smart In A Silly, Stupid, Inane Kind Of Way
I walked back to the East End Café to find Roger and Pete waiting. They were hammered. Good thing I stopped drinking. I took the keys, adjusted my seat, and drove Rogers’s love mobile back home. Imagine if you would, Rogers’s driver’s seat is bent on an angle. Like another words, if I lay back on the seat, I am literally looking at the passenger. How does that happen? Every car Roger has ever had, it does the same thing. It’s amazing. Pete was trashed. I looked in the rear view, and I could see that he was absolutely done. We arrived home safely with no injuries. Pete got sick and sounded like a turkey vulture in my bathroom, while Roger and I rapped on the couch about his weekend plans. I fell asleep with the cool air breezing through the sliding door…
Night And Day
For program 967, I decided to do my 10th annual Progday spotlight. Progday is an event I regret to say I have never attended. It’s more or less like the Woodstock of all the progressive rock festivals that is the current longest running of all. Bands have come from all over the world to perform in Chapel Hill, NC. Some bands have come from as close as Raleigh, North Carolina, and others from as far away as Sweden, Italy, Japan and Indonesia. And that’s just to name a few. As the weekend approached, so did Ernesto. The storm is bound to make Progday a washout, sadly. I pray for good weather for Michael Bennett and the rest of the gang. Silly hurricanes. Before the radio show, Innovator decided to smoke pork in the Traeger. It was so good, it was a tear jerker. Tia battled for pork with the neighbor’s dog, while I battled with my stomach to see if I could conceivably fit more into tubby body. I even got leftovers! YAY! He even helped with getting one of the best new CD’s of 2006 out on the air with fusion/Zeuhl band One Shot and their new powerhouse release titled Ewaz Vader. I featured the track Phat because it’s uhh…..fat. Genius CD. Climbing the top 20 in requests before I even had it. I went back and tracked the new Derek Sherinian CD Blood Of The Snake which features Simon Phillips, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci, and many others. I like the disc a lot, except for the remake of that silly summertime song. My 4th Hour Space Out spotlight went with new music from Morris Pert and his Desert Dances CD which I must say although not a raging progrock or jazz release, it was a nice touch to round out the show in a New Age, spacey kind of way. Another disc I was happy to get on the air before most was the new collaborative work of British band Magenta with Annie Haslam titled Night And Day. This EP features a few cuts in alternate mixes as well. Nice work.
No Reason, No Rhyme
A few weeks back, I pulled out some old discs from the mid 90’s I was featuring on the program, and a renewed a love affair with the music of Billy Sherwood, World Trade, and more recently, Conspiracy. World Trade’s Euphoria to me was exciting in 1995. The new dawn of the radio show was rising as were the availability and contacts. This CD always reminds me of the humble beginnings of what the show was. There were songs on this CD that moved me then, and upon listening now, continue to do so. So as I listened to this along with some of the collaborative work that Billy did with Chris Squire, and realized that his interview from 2003 would make a nice reflective spotlight tonight. Billy was cool. Not to mention, me being a fan, made the interview more interesting on both sides. For those that don’t know Billy or Conspiracy’s music, it’s not the normal run of the mill progressive rock. Billy is clearly Yes inspired, both lyrically and harmonically. But Billy does some amazingly sonic work on his recordings. The pieces are more song driven but to me, and this may sound far out, but I think that Billy does the best things that Chris never did. His production is phenomenal, and the depth of the songs are unforgettable. I don’t know, but it just strikes a nerve with me and brings me back to a different time. We touched on his love for Star Wars, touring with Yes, writing with Chris, and his gift of being a decent multi instrumentalist. It was a fun interview. And that’s why I do this godforsaken show.
Crossroads, Will You Ever Let Him Go?....
As usual, the post show brings me to Big Bob Lovin’s. They listened in and gave me their assessment. As I entered his new abode, it was filled with spirits. Drunk spirits. One in particular, the ever popular J Dean. Bob was fired up, and the funniest he ever was in a post game wrap up. He was on fire. Bob bounced from room to room screaming, hollering, touching, burping, hugging…it was the happiest I had ever seen him. Meanwhile, Roger asked me to devise a route that would be the quickest to get from our position, to the New Lisbon area. I gave Roger 3 different routes, and he seemed to have caught on. I light up when people ask me for directions. Especially in Burlington County. East Burlington County J. Anyway, seeing that I am the only sober one of the group, I decided it was time for me to head home. I will say this, there is a beauty about the Red Lion tract of Burlington County. As I drove, I began harkening back to days of George and driving down New Road en route to surprises to be aired that night….that no one had…I took those days for granted like growing up watching Steve Carlton pitch and Mike Schmidt hitting homer after homer…I feel that way now. I should have enjoyed those times more. And made sure I appreciated them more. In the beginning of your life, people tell you how to live and how to do what’s right; for the second half, they tell you all the things that you should have done. The scary part is, I think I agree in some cases.

This Program Ran 4 Hours And 11 Minutes.

156 - 78
A Meeting Of Spirits
It was smooth sailing Friday night into Saturday as I prepped for the show. The summer had been Mahavishnu themed due to many reasons:

• Walter Kolosky’s excellent new book titled Power, Passion, and Beauty: The Story Of The Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra
• Gregg Bendian, drummer of the Mahavishnu Project joined us in the early spring
• Gary Husband’s new disc Meeting Of Spirits: Interpretations Of The Music Of John McLaughlin
• John McLaughlin is to join us into the early Autumn to discuss his blockbuster album Industrial Zen
• Jan Hammer did 2006 remixes of the Miami Vice Classics!
• Requests for the Mahavishnu Orchestra on the program alone, have gone up 40% since January

So my plan was to have it coincide with my 50 weeks to 1000 project by playing the first interview of 2006 with Drummer/Composer/Pianist Gary Husband. Gary was great in this interview. He touched on his work with Gongzilla, his Force Majuere project, the new album with Jason Smith, his playing with Allan, and lots of other things. We also touched on the last time that Gary was in the studio with us in 1996, and recognizing each other at the Allan Holdsworth show in 2000 while he wore his Speedos on stage. It’s true; Gary likes to wear Speedos when he plays. To each his own, I always say. I featured yet again, the forthcoming White Willow CD Signal To Noise. Besides being an awesome follow up to the #1 album of 2004 from them in Storm Season, they have 2 of the hottest chicks in music. First being Trude Eintang. Not only can she sing and change the depth and emotion with her singing, she has powerful eyes and a beautiful face. Don’t get me wrong, Sylvia Erichsen was hot too…but oh my. Trude is lovely. I think my favorite has to be the bassist, Marthe Berger Walthinsen. Scandanavian chick that’s hot and plays bass? Uhh…..hello? Do I need to get into detail? Anyway…this album is absolutely powerful.
All Roads Lead To Inca
It was time for another Sunday excursion into the Pines. As always, the perfect finish to a radio packed weekend. This time we brought Jack’s son Ryan with us. It was beautifully sunny, but I could feel the humidity and moisture in the air. Jack wanted me to take them somewhere they hadn’t been yet. So I decided on Atsion, then Batsto. We approached Atsion in the electric green wonder mobile and stopped to look at the Richards mansion. Maybe they didn’t care as much as I did. You see to me, this house is very important to the history of the area. In 1826, Samuel Richards built the Greek Revival mansion house that stands near Atsion lake by Atsion and Quaker Bridge Roads. During the early1840’s Richards had a workforce of 120 men, a Methodist Church and two dozen dwellings. Sawmills, forges, all in all, a busy town. Later Samuel Richards' daughter married William Walton Fleming of Charleston, South Carolina and they moved in. When anthracite coal was better obtained from places in New York and Pennsylvania, the economy plummeted in south jersey. The bog iron industry went buckled and went nowhere. In 1852, Fleming built a paper mill at Atsion. It closed after about two years, and he went bankrupt. The town name changed to Fruitland at this point. In 1856, the coming of William and John Torrey’s Raritan And Delaware Bay Railroad would change everything. At the start of the Civil War, the tracks came to Atsion and helped to transport troops and supplies. Atsion was the hot stop on this line. The Torreys had trains running from New York to Camden, via Atsion, by 1862. By 1867 the Torreys had gone bankrupt. In 1871 Maurice Raleigh, a wealthy Philadelphian, bought Atsion and built a cotton factory. He had the name changed back from "Fruitland" to "Atsion." Cool dude in my book. By 1892 Joseph Wharton bought it and the estate became a productive farm with peanuts being the crop shizzle. And then by 1954, the state purchased Atsion and surrounding land, which is now part of the Wharton State Forest. The trains stopped running all together by the mid 1970’s. Once I get past the church at Atsion, I almost pretend I can hear them coming. They sit in beautiful silence amidst the remnants of what once was. Oh how I wish I could see it just for one day. There was even talk at one point to have a rail line run to Quaker Bridge. But that was scrapped. To think, this could have been a serious junction to get to the Jersey shore. Now trees grow through the tracks….I guess its impracticalness saved its spirit in my opinion. We ventured down Quaker Bridge Road en route to the actual bridge with these thoughts invading my mind. Jack and Ryan thought I was driving too fast at 35 MPG but I thought to myself, hey….who knows, a stagecoach or carriage driver may have been moving at the same speed and had its passengers complain of the same thing at one time. It’s all relative. Shut up and enjoy the ride. We stopped at Quaker Bridge and witnessed other visitors as well as they cooled off in the Batsto River. The bridge is a steel bridge now, while at one point in its history, tied logs crossed this once ferocious river. It’s funny how times have changed. Very little is left here if anything. There are some cellar holes but not much more than that. I have made a vow to explore this area more once the weather cools down and once the chiggers take a nap for the season. Once you get beyond the bridge, the terrain changes, and it seems like there are more young growth trees. My curiosity has always been, why does it look like it was cleared out here before? Was there something here at one time? Were there settlements here at one time, or was this recently done in the last 20 years? Why are there fields of moss here? What’s it all mean? Quaker Bridge comes to meeting of some three to four different roads going in all directions. I stuck with Quaker Bridge until I came to Penn Swamp road. Penn Swamp leads out to the post Wharton era road called the Batsto/Washington Turnpike. Jack’s GPS showed us every old road we were on with ease and no dead spots. Truly fascinating. The damn thing even talks to you. We made it to Batsto and gave my usual tour. It was a beautiful yet warm day. The sun rays were pleasant, the air smelled clean, and the population there was sparse. Batsto was one of the first places I had ever explored in my New Jersey history studies. Batsto is one of the only preserved colonial towns of the Iron/Glass era in Southern New Jersey. I love Batsto. It’s like therapy to me. I can come here, and just get lost. Wonder the grounds…watch people….breathe the piney air….and dream….dream of what it was like. Well, it must of sucked in the summertime I’ll tell you that. Even on the mowed grass out back of the mansion I had ticks on me. I hate ticks. Passionately. I will burn the whole house down if I find one. Chiggers, yeah I hate them. But not as much Ticks. Evil sonofabitches. Anyway, after dancing at the mill and playing with the chickens, I decided to head back down the Batsto/Washington Turnpike and introduce Jack and Ryan to Washington. This was a one time small hamlet located in the middle of the current Wharton State Forest tract. This is where many roads converge in the pines. Batsto Washington Road, Washington Road, Hampton Gate Road, Iron Pipe Road, Washington Jenkins Road and the ever popular Tuckerton Road. This town has several stories. One of the most popular being the story of Joe Mulliner. Joe more or less was the Robin Hood of the New Jersey pines. Hi lived down by Pleasant Mills outside of Batsto, and lived a wild life. He kinda reminds me of Roger. A good spirited partier who loved surprising people in the Jersey pines and making merry. Joe was tough and big to match. Although he frequented many places in the Pines, Washington was one of notable fame. This is where he came upon the Washington Tavern one day wanting obviously something refreshing. When he arrived he saw a young girl crying out the back of the tavern. When he stormed the back door of the tavern he saw that there were some forced marriages going on. He scared all the men doing the forcing, and they ran for the woods. Joe was the man. There are other stories as well…Pleasant Mills/Nesco, Quaker Bridge tavern, and others. Unfortunately, since Joe was a loyalist, he was hung in 1781. They say you can still hear his bellowing laughter in the woods from time to time. I never have, but eh…who knows. But Washington had some importance as to being a voting spot (at the tavern) and troops were trained here in the War Of 1812. When you view aerial maps, you can see the outline of a once strong farming community. Washington was special to me as well. I reflected, too. We left from there and headed down a road I truly neglect in Devious Mount road. An odd, topsy turvey type road that takes you to a one time house and orchard I first visited with Ben from NJPINEBARRENS.
Can I Get A Box For Fatty’s Food Over Here?
We decided to return back down Quaker Bridge to Atsion and then to 206. We stopped at the Pic-a-lilli for what else, but wings. Once we arrived, we walked into to a totally different world. Lights, air-conditioning, tables of families, and beautiful hostesses were awry. We sat down and ordered. I went with the crab bread, while Jack with a Filet Mignon sandwhich, and Ryan, chicken fingers. I ordered what else but chicken wings. Jack suddenly realized he couldn’t find his phone. I started to get nervous because I drove, and did hit quite a few bumps that day. But I honestly could not remember where that phone went. I called it, but kept losing the signal at the Pic. It’s like the Bermuda Triangle of lost cell calls. Anyway, I felt bad. I would be ticked if I lost my phone. But Jack’s business IS THE PHONE. So, I went out and checked his jeep twice. Jeeps have a weird way of sucking in things in both the emergency brake console, and the middle console. No one knows why, but other jeep owners have all admitted to finding long lost things in their jeeps and the most odd times. Anyway, we go back outside to find a monsoon passed through. And the Jeep top was down. Nice. Nothing like a wet ass on the way home. Jack’s phone fell out of mid air like it traveled through time to get to us, and Jack was happy. We left the Pic soaked, and headed back to the Village of the Sun. Along the way we drove down Ridge to find Big Bob Lovin disposing of bodies in his oil well in his new garage. We laughed, we cried, and I headed home. Jack got me thinking. He said to me while we were at Quaker Bridge, “Dude, you are getting fat, what’s up wit dat?” I was stunned. I know put a little weight on, but am I fat? I was crushed. Maybe I am fat. Maybe I am denial. I was always good at this. Anyway, I drove home and did pushups and sit-ups till I couldn’t breathe anymore. I felt good, but the gut was still there. This is something I need to work on obviously. I will keep you updated as to how my tubby body turns out.
Rest In Peace Michele Marie Moore
About a year ago, I was getting some press letters in regards to the newly reformed The Syn. I had been going through some of the worst personal issues of my life during that span, and was ready to close the show up for a while. I had received 3 emails from Michele Moore of http://www.yesservices.com/ asking to make time for an interview with Stephen Nardelli and Chris Squire. I was up for the interview, but had no drive to extensive research. It was an effort to just get out of bed. But, speaking with Michele that August made me feel good. She was one of those, ‘hey life is like that, you will be fine.’ Michele briefly touched on the fact that she wasn’t feeling too great lately either. I never pried or poked about it, but she made sure that she was ok and that things would work out. We talked a few other times about some of our Yes memories and gossip etc. As July approached of 2006, I was wondering how she was but due to business of both life and the radio show, I never got around to contacting her. I found out sadly 2 weeks ago she had passed on from cancer. She was a great woman that was always willing to help and get things in order quite quickly. I will admire that she kept her strength until she couldn’t fight anymore. I regretted spilling my guts to her about the dark events that had transpired in my life while little did I know, she was dying. Michele you will be terribly missed. We need more people like you in this world. You are in the right place

This Program Ran 4 Hours and 3 Minutes

138
62
Let The 2006 Tailgating Season Begin
I wrote an entry for last weekend. It included the Jamaican Independence Day live remote we did with Keith Rowe and Selector Jerry of the Saturday 2-6pm program at Z889 titled Sounds Of The Caribbean. Unfortunately, Blogger went down and it was lost forever. I take forever to post my blogs because I can’t spell at all and get very particular about what I want going up in it. I chalked it up as a loss and just moved on. Anyway, this week I had some days off and decided to prep myself for the Philadelphia Eagles first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. I wanted to do some kind of special prep work food wise for this first game. But unfortunately, my brother Rob took the reigns and decided to bring dogs and burgers. Eh…it’s just preseason. Being prepped is a big issue. Usually, I like to get out to the stadium at least 3-4 hours before kickoff to get things rolling with drinking, grilling, and throwing the football around. I also like to have the tunes blasting with a select few CD’s of my liking. If it is a 1pm Sunday game, I like to get to the parking lot by 8am. I set the grill up, don’t fire it up right away, and begin to drink. By 9:30, and an empty stomach, I am buzzed. Now keep in mind, I don’t leave the radio show till about 2:30am Sunday morning. Then I get home usually somewhere around 3ish, prep and pack everything for the game. Tables, chairs, grill, propane, food, utensils, napkins, football, radio, walkman, CDs, Eagles clothes, oh and matches. Oh yeah and tickets. Almost forgot. So, the buzz usually begins around 9:30, by 10:30, the grill gets fired up. Whether I like it or not. I am usually pretty fired up by then. So the food festivities begin. I don’t want to eat too much because I want to be able to have a few more beers during the game. God only knows it could be a nightmare and I may need to drink double the amount if we are losing. This year’s tailgating will be a bit different due to the recent acquisition of a key player. My charbroil smoker. Oh, the possiblities. I don’t know where this tailgating fascination began. My mother says it’s my grandfather within me. He was a huge Philadelphia A’s fan, and used to bring jugs of wine to the game. It was something he lived for in the old days. He also was a big flirt and I believed that rubbed off as well. Thanks pop pop.
This Release Music Orchestra Is Good, But How About Some Yes!
The joke of the last 2 years is that I am an anti-Yes radio DJ. Actually, it’s very untrue. I love Yes. Or I should say, I really like them a lot. When the program started to take off into new realms in late 1995 early 1996, I decided to shy away from mainly featuring the top tier progressive rock bands. (Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull) It wasn’t because I didn’t like them, it was time to give new bands a shot because the scene has been and still is growing. Even when I wasn’t aware of it in the early 90’s. I know a lot of basic fundamentalist progressive rock fans shy away from my show because they want to hear Genesis, etc. Now wait a minute. I LOVE Genesis. But what about White Willow? Pure Reason Revolution? La Maschera Di Cera? These are new bands that are not just copies of the past, but bands that are making their mark in a new world of eclectic music. There are so many genres and subgenres in this scene it can make you go dizzy. But, the point is, progrock never died. It’s just that many of today’s listeners like to look back. It’s not a bad thing, but you are going to hear something that’s new that you may fall in love with. Maybe even open doors to new journies. That is why my emphasis is on new music. But many don’t want to take that step. They get scared. They don’t want anything to interfere with their enjoyment of Gentle Giant….or any other top tier band. I love those bands too. And I do in fact try to play them from time to time. But as I stated, the emphasis is clearly on the new music. So for you people that think I am a Yes hater, here is how the DJ in me looks at them with ratings at the end:

• Yes 1969 – Great debut, an album I would play on the show, obviously. Every Little Thing and Survival are my favorites. ***
• Time And A Word 1970 – Great Sophomore release. Including an orchestra as well. Definite radio show album. Sweet Dreams is great, but Astral Traveller is one of my favorite Yes songs of all time. ***1/2
• The Yes Album 1971 – Radio only slightly murdered this one. I can’t listen to songs like Yours Is No Disgrace anymore. Totally ruined. I’ve Seen All Good People? Oh god. If I hear it one more time I will set myself on fire. Perpetual Change and in the right mood, Starship Trooper still rocks. Other than that, I can’t listen to it and rarely play this album on the show. ***
• Fragile 1971/1972 – A monumental album in their catalog. Besides Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround being butchered on every jukebox and automated radio station, this may be the finest beginning to their dominance in the genre at this point. I still think South Side Of The Sky is great, We Have Heaven is still cool to listen too, but Heart Of The Sunrise still fires me up. Squire is immaculate. I haven’t played much off this album in quite a few years. ***1/2
• Close To The Edge 1972 – Well, well, well. This album still gets my attention as one of the greatest accomplishments Yes ever did. No weaknesses in any of the three songs. I still regard this as a radio classic in my genre, but yet, not my favorite. And You And I is still a moving piece that makes my hairs stand up. ****
• Yessongs 1973 – Yeah it’s ok. Not my favorite live album. But it’s ok. I haven’t played this in years. ***
• Tales From Topographic Oceans 1973 – I still find love for this album. Like CTTE, it’s not my favorite album, but it has its moments. A DJ’s dream: four 20 minute plus pieces. Yay! All jokes aside. I still think The Revealing Science Of God is a great track and loved it so much 15 years ago, I used it as part of my intro. As a matter of fact I still do, (the main chorus) only acoustically. I should play this one soon. ***
• Relayer 1974 – One of my favorite Yes albums in a dark kind of way. This album is very moody and depressing at times. Even the cover is great. But I regard this as a classic, and one of their best. Patrick Moraz was great on this album…timeless. Soundchaser is still the most intense playing I have ever heard out of the Yes camp. This is an album I love the older I get. ****
• Going For The One 1977 – My favorite album to ever be released by this band. Every song is perfect and production wise, is stellar. What a happy album. This is the album that got me into Yes when I was in high school. Awaken is still the most spiritual thing I have ever heard from this band. Hairs raised and eyes misty. *****
• Tormato 1978 – Ok ok ok, it was a sloppy album. But still, I think it was great. Squire had some great sounds coming out of the Bass. On The Silent Wings Of Freedom is great, Arriving UFO is pretty intense, and the track Future Times/Rejoice is still some great Yes. People either loved or hated this album. I give it a thumbs up, and is the second most played Yes album on the show. ****
• Drama 1980 – Totally underrated. The album showed how tight a power trio (white/howe/squire) could be. Then add the Buggles. Machine Messiah, Does It Really happen, and Tempus Fugit are my personal favorites. Why? I love Squire’s back up voice in the forefront. **** (Played this Saturday night)
• YesShows 1980 – Yeah whatever. Atlantic records panicking that Jon and Rick weren’t in the band anymore. Haven’t played it in 10 years. ***
• 90125 1983 – Look. I’m an 80’s child. I loved the album. My sister made me listen to it repeatedly when I was 11 while she was in love with Trevor Rabin. Great moments? Sure. Hearts…It Can Happen. But, I haven’t played anything of this in about 8 years. ***1/2
• 9012Live The Solos 1985 – zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz *
• Big Generator 1987 – I was into my teens when this came out and although in hindsight all the songs sound the same, I still like a lot of it. The videos were atrocious. But, it was the tail end of 80’s. And I have to say, it was my youth. Last time I played this was 1995. ***
• Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe 1989 -- Genius. That’s all I will say. Long time coming at that point. A favorite of my show in the beginning years. Levin should have had his name added. ****
• Union 1991 – This came out as I was graduating from high school. Lift Me Up was played at my graduation. I still get misty when I hear it. The album is the end of my youth. But the safe beginning of my young adulthood. This was also one of the last albums I bought before my love affair with Yes and just before I became a DJ in August of 1991. ****
• YesYears 1991 – This box set began my journey into Yes. Great companion to someone who never heard Yes before. *****
• Talk 1994 – This album is a personal all time favorite. Recording is dynamic as is the engineering…and the best of 90125 Yes. My brother even became a Yes fan with this album. No it’s not a heavy ‘prog’ album per say, but, it marked a great ending to the 80’s yes that I grew up with. I still smile at this disc, and bring it to the shore almost every year. ****1/2
• Keys To Ascension 1996 – Yay. At least that’s what I said at first. But I got bored with this one real fast. But still...it was nice to see this incarnation. ***
• Keys To Ascension II 1997 - Love this one. Mind Drive excited me. (old XYZ bits) Good one...I enjoyed this. ***1/2
• Open Your Eyes 1997 - hmmmmm **
• The Ladder 1999 - hmmmmmmmmmmmm **1/2
• Magnification 2001 - Ok. Anyway. This is a nice change. I actually enjoyed the orchestra on this album. Squire does some more singing too. I liked it. Thanks for coming back. ***

There you go. I hope that clears things up.

Sheriff rode 'em into town, Josie lookin' Sad
Back in early 1990, I was really getting into Ham radios, CB radios, and other forms of broadcasting equipment. I was doing my high school radio show called Power 69. It was a goof obviously. Crank calls, skits, pets as guests…absurd. But, it opened a lot of doors, and I opened many people up by interviewing them. When I learned how to make a transmitter, I upset a few people in my neighborhood, including authorities by broadcasting into people’s television and radio speakers. Ooops. I got a warning without my parents finding out surprisingly. (Thanks Jim) Anyway, I was exploring new music and I was handed a cassette by the then drummer of this band we were jamming with. The tape was of this band called Emerson, Lake and Palmer playing live in 1974. Now, I had heard of Emerson, Lake, and Powell. What was this band? Anyway, I had gotten the second cassette and heard this song called Karn Evil 9 while walking with my walkman. I did that a lot in those days. I was blown away. Powerful, larger than life keyboards, crazy drumming, and cool singing. I was in love. I became obsessed my senior year of high school doing a complete study of the band’s catalog. So now when I play the triple live album Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends Ladies And Gentleman, Emerson, Lake, And Palmer; It’s kind of special. Brings me back to easier times. Wait. Maybe not.
The One Word Of The Kolosky Fire Birds In Walter’s Steppings Tones
Tonight’s guest was author Walter Kolosky of the excellent new book Power, Passion, and Beauty. The Story Of The Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra. Well I have to say this. Walter did one hell of a job on this book. Detailed chronologically, Walter didn’t miss a thing. There are even things he took out! The book he stated, would have had 600 pages if he didn’t. He was candid and passionate. I could tell that he really loved what he did. This book should be with you at all times when you put on anything Mahavishnu/McLaughlin related. Walter's website says it best:

Starting in 1971 and lasting in one form or another for five years, the Mahavishnu Orchestra exploded onto the popular music scene while simultaneously trashing all existing conventions, forging a new direction that is still controversial to this day. The loudest and fastest band in the entire world, the MO literally could “scare” people – yet also could create music of great beauty. Today, it's genre-busting music serves as a foundation for many musical movements.All five members of the original band, John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Jan Hammer, Jerry Goodman and Rick Laird, cooperated with the author. In addition, almost 150 people, including some of the world’s greatest musicians and artists, provide comments exclusive to this book. Among those commenting for these pages are Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Jeff Beck, Sir George Martin, Jean-Luc Ponty, Peter Max, Joe Zawinul, Bill Frisell, Dennis Chambers, Bill Bruford, Peter Erskine, Jimmy Herring, Jonas Hellborg, Mark Egan, John Scofield, Steve Lukather, Lyle Mays, Steve Morse, Joey DeFrancesco, Narada Michael Walden and many, many more.Experience this remarkable story through those that lived it and are still living it. You will be captured by the Power, Passion and Beauty of it all.

I'd love to see his next book. Walter puts power, passion and beauty in this great document. A must have. Here's the website for more info.

Tonight's Program Ran 4 Hours and 3 Minutes