It has been quite some time since I updated anything on the site. The Beyond Radio 250 has been suspended as I just do not have the time to process the information. My focus has gone to other things. The podcast and having fun looking back at past years and re-assessing the music from those years. I’ve been working on early ’74, ’84, ’94 and so on. I have uploaded my new version of the top 200 of 1973 on the Beyond Radio 250 page. Elton John, The Partridge Family and Godspell dominate the chart. I will periodically upload other charts there as well.
I also have posted my current personal chart for the first time since last May! In a nostalgic turn Billy Joel’s latest has struck a nerve with me.
In addition, I’ve posted 2 new episodes of the podcast over the last couple of weeks. The focus of these episodes involves my assessment of music from ’73, ’83’ and ’93.
If you know where that lyric is from, I love you!
This episode starts with another artist that we talk about their evolution. This band went on to be one of the premiere alt/dance acts of the last 40 years.
The transition to the next song was a jarring one for Jeff (of course that was on purpose) and he didn’t get the connection between the songs 🙁 but that is OK. This song is a very important song in my history and absoutely stunning in its execution. And of course it led to a revelation I wasn’t expecting.
Hilarity ensues with the next transition and this song has inadvertently become the pinnacle of my love for pop/rock.
From there 3 songs from 1973 round out the episode bringing joy and a beat.
I am dedicating this episode to my high school classmate Thomas Campbell who recently passed away. He was a huge music enthusiast and musician plus an occasional listener to the podcast who has corrected me on occasion (which I appreciated). We were not close in high school though if we had been my music knowledge and diversity would probably have come sooner than it did. I also think he would have appreciated this particular episode as it features artists from the ’70s and ’80s who were on the cutting edge of music that I imagine he followed at the time.
The conversation in this episode builds off my annual look back at previous years. I had been re-evaluating music from the years 1973, 1983, and 1993 during 2023 and the first 2 episodes of Castlist 12 feature songs from those years. In this episode the songs chosen are the catalyst to a discussion of how artists evolve over time. The 4 primary songs of this episode are “The Paris Match” by The Style Council, “Strange Town” by The Jam, “Rising’ by Midge Ure and “Hoover Dam” by Sugar. Maybe all are new to you but they are all important to me.
There’s a lot of history in this episode. Influences range from Jazz to Glam Rock, Punk to Soul, 60’s Brit Pop to Sythn Pop to Grunge.
Which song sounds like a movie montage to Jeff? What is a Glass Pinecone? How to do ruin a song with an updated version? (IMO). How did we land on The Daily Show at the end of the episode?
The opening song is the latest track from Sheryl Crow, the song “Evolution”, a solid offering and preview to her upcoming twelfth studio album, coming out at the end of March.
And if you missed Part 3 of the “What I Did Last Summer” trilogy here it is.
Wow this episode has a lot of stuff going on in it. We first explore the world of the song of the summer and an emerging trend associated with it. It is certainly adding an interesting wrinkle to the Pop universe. A viral video becomes part of that conversation, as does a wee bit of political commentary.
Next up, an artist up for Best New Artist at next year’s Grammys who has been plugging away for over 2 decades. I then offer up contenders for my song of the summer and Jeff is really digging the winner.
From there it’s the “IT” guy of the summer based on my Uber experiences, and one who Jeff’s daughter Eva was in on at (or near) the beginning.
The real fun starts with 3 consecutive days and 3 chance meetings in my life as an Uber driver. Meeting 2 was not nearly as impactful as 1 and 3 but fits into an artsy pattern. It all leads to a 70’s music scene that started in northern England and an unexpected concert. The Grammys come up again and there is an appearance by Santa (well not really) and a tornado (really).