John Richards

This was Summer's first hit, and one of the first disco hits. --- It was rumored that Summer sang her very convincing orgasmic-sounding vocals on the studio floor while simulating a sex act. The rumor was partly true - after trying to record her vocal the traditional way, her producer Giorgio Moroder had her sing on the studio floor while lying on her back with the lights out, since she didn't want the guys working on the album looking at her when she sang it. She explained that she was indeed touching herself during the vocal: she had her hand on her knee. Her boyfriend Peter served as her fantasy inspiration.

"Don't waste your time on a man who can't commit Like that, like that Two-timin', two-faced lover who's over it Come on, come on..." -- 2017's "Fake Sugar" was the former Gossip singer's debut album.: pitchfork.com

Happy birthday to Canadian violinist Sarah Neufeld, born on this date in 1979. Best known as a long time member of Arcade Fire, she is also a founding member of the contemporary instrumental ensemble Bell Orchestre.: sarahneufeldmusic.com

The instrumentation for this song was originally recorded by producers Sly Dunbar & Robbie Shakespeare during the sessions for Grace Jones' 1980 album Warm Leatherette in the Bahamas. -- Here's a tribute to this (possibly) sexual song: www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk

Talking Heads' 1983–84 Speaking in Tongues tour — which was captured in the Jonathan Demme concert film "Stop Making Sense" — is widely considered their peak as a live band. But take a look at this footage from a 1980 Remain in Light tour stop in Dortmund, Germany, where they play “Crosseyed and Painless.” King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew is part of an extended lineup they put together for this stage show.: www.youtube.com

Good Morning John, I am writing to request "World Destruction" by Time Zone for my partner Bryan's 50th birthday. He is a longtime KEXP listener and supporter. He'll get a kick out of that song. Thanks, have a groovy day! --Regan -- Have a groovy birthday, Bryan! -- "World Destruction" was a one-off single from John Lydon, Africa Bambaataa, and producer/bassist Bill Laswell.: music.fandom.com

Tomorrow night, I am attending the first Indy goth night in 18 months - everyone is required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test at the door. I’m so excited and was hoping to perhaps hear the classic Sisters of Mercy tune “This Corrosion.” --Devon -- Andrew Eldritch described the track: "It's about the idiots, full of sound and fury, who stampede around this world signifying nothing. It's about people who sing about the revolution while selling it short, about people who sing about the corrosion of things while they themselves are falling apart. People who miss the point... It's also stupidly over-the-top bombastic, but rightly so." - bit.ly

De La Soul used multiple samples in this song, particularly a riff from soul group The Mighty Ryeders' "Evil Vibrations" (1978). Other samples include Chicago, Tower of Power, and Frankie Valli.: www.whosampled.com

Lizzo explained her confident attitude regarding her body to Apple Music. "At the end of the day, I want my music to make people feel good, I want it to help people love themselves. This song is about looking in the mirror, loving what you see, and letting everyone know." Watch a live performance in our studio in 2017: www.youtube.com

"Pump Up the Volume" was released on this day in 1987. It is made up of an estimated 250 samples. The line, "Pump Up The Volume" came from "I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim, and the full list of samples is insane: en.wikipedia.org

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio will be playing the Goathead Festival in Boise, Idaho tomorrow, August 28th. --- This is a fine cover of the classic song that came out in 1984 -- written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of British music duo Wham! The song became a huge commercial success around the world. It reached number one in nearly 25 countries, selling about 6 million copies worldwide—2 million of them in the United States. The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio played this track as part of a Live on KEXP at Home set, hosted by John Richards, back in February 2021: youtu.be

"I just hope you understand Sometimes the clothes do not make the man..." "All we have to see Is that I don't belong to you and you don't belong to me..." -- George Michael was trying to free himself from the shackles of Sony, which was his record label at the time. They created an image for him to promote his Faith album, and Michael was now trying to distance himself from it. In the video, all the Faith trademarks explode: the jacket, the jukebox, the guitar.: www.youtube.com

Though “Mama” is used in the album’s title, it was actually LL’s grandmother who gave him the directive to knock out his critics. To date, the album has sold more than 2 million copies and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album also garnered LL Cool J the 1991 Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance. Here's an interview with producer Marley Marl: www.vanityfair.com

IDLES will play the Showbox on Tuesday, November 9th, 2021.: www.showboxpresents.com -- This is their cover of the Metallica "Black Album" classic.: www.guitarworld.com -- The "Metallica Blacklist" – a gargantuan, 53-track tribute to Metallica's self-titled 1991 LP (better known as The Black Album)--will be out on September 10th.

Speaking of Metallica.... James Hetfield wrote this song with his high school friend Hugh Tanner before Metallica was even formed, and is one of only two songs that Lars Ulrich doesn't receive a writing credit for. It is also the band's shortest song, clocking in at only three minutes and eight seconds.

The gentle "Guided by Angels" is the new single from this Australian band's sophomore album, "Comfort to Me," out on September 10th. -- In the video, Amy Taylor dances around and belts the song in various locales — a field, a storage unit, the ocean — as her bandmates stand cooly by.: www.youtube.com

The Linda Lindas comprises sisters Lucia and Mila de la Garza, their cousin Eloise Wong, and close friend Bela Salazar. -- Enjoy KEXP's feature on The Linda Lindas, who have "the most fun job in the world. www.kexp.org -- See their colorful video for "Oh!": www.youtube.com

If you can fit in some Smoking Pope's for my wife, her best friend and our daughter who are out in Chi-Town for a quick trip, I'd greatly appreciate it. TY! --Mark "From their early indie releases to their critically acclaimed major label albums, [Chicago band Smoking Popes] developed a unique blend of buzzsaw guitars, caffeinated rhythms and heartfelt crooning vocals, combining the angst of punk with the smooth sophistication of Frank Sinatra, creating music both urgent and timeless, and influencing a generation of musicians in their wake.": www.allmusic.com

They were founded in New Jersey in 1980 (That's 41 years ago!). Although frontman Pat DiNizio died in 2017, they're continuing to tour with guest vocalists: www.officialsmithereens.com

Masked Swedish psych-rock experimentalists Goat haven’t released a proper studio album since Requiem in 2016. But today, Friday, August 27th, they’re releasing Headsoup, a rarities compilation that includes B-sides, standalone singles, and two brand new tracks, including this one, "Fill My Mouth." -- The band’s anonymous members claim to hail from the remote and cursed village of Korpilombo in northern Sweden, where inhabitants had for centuries been devoted to a form of voodoo introduced by a travelling witch doctor Read more and purchase 'Headsoup' -- goat.bandcamp.com

Eric Burdon sang lead on this track. Before Burdon joined, the group was known as Nightshift and was playing backup for Deacon Jones, a former US football player who was trying to become a soul singer. The group was re-named War and played with Burdon for two albums, both credited to "Eric Burdon and War.": www.allmusic.com

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band are a mysterious steel pan outfit hailing from Hamburg, Germany. bacaorhythmandsteelband.bandcamp.com -- They have just released "Expansions," an album of diverse covers: bacaorhythmandsteelband.bandcamp.com

RIP, beloved Charlie Watts, who died this week at age 80. Here's Ringo Starr reflecting on what made Charlie Watts great: www.wsj.com

Jungle come to the Paramount on Friday, October 22, 2021. -- The duo plan to provide a “visual identity” for each track on the album. Directed by Jungle alongside their longtime collaborator Charlie Di Placido, the visual features dancers that appeared in the clip from lead single “Keep Moving.” The dancers meet up in a gymnasium for what starts out as a sort of therapy session, but tensions rise and the group splinters. They work it out through expertly crafted dance choreography. Breaking out into smaller groups, they move to the pulsating track, before uniting towards the end.: www.youtube.com

Ahhh...the Friday song. Join KEXP on Thursday, September 9th for Music Heals: Mental Health as we acknowledge the struggles of mental health and emotional well being that so many of us deal with and how music can really make a difference. From 5AM-7PM we'll be reading your stories and playing your requests. You can send yours in today by emailing stories@kexp.org and then tune in on Thursday 9/9 to hear the stories and experiences of your fellow listeners.: kexp.org/musicheals.

Diamond performed this on The Johnny Cash Show, where he explained: "This song was written about a revival meeting I was at in Jackson, Mississippi. I went there because I was curious, and also because I was a college kid who had all the answers - no one was going to teach me anything and I could lay a few answers on them. I sat in the back of this tent meeting and I got really caught up in the music - clapping, the singing - tremendously exciting. -- This marked a turning point for Diamond, as it was a character-driven song as opposed to something personal and introspective. This allowed Diamond to play a character on stage, and he quickly developed into a very charismatic performer. In the liner notes to his boxed set "In My Lifetime," Diamond wrote: "This recording became a hit and was to make a showman out of me. How could you not let go of your inhibitions when playing such a wonderful character?"

"Mountain Song' was written by Eric Avery and Perry Farrell in 1985. Eric Avery has stated that this was the first thing he and Perry wrote together and pre-dated the Jane’s Addiction band name. -- The official video has the band performing at The Scream in 1988: www.youtube.com

Takudzwa Victoria Rosa "Tkay" Maidza is a Zimbabwean-born Australian singer-songwriter and rapper. -- She'll perform this Pixies cover at The Showbox on Thursday, November 4th, 2021.

KEXP premiered the video for this infectious song from Baby Dayliner (real name: Ethan Marunas): www.kexp.org

Hey, John! BowieVision and Queen Mother are gearing up for “Under Pressure: A Night of Bowie and Queen” at Neumos tonight. Could you set the mood by playing Under Pressure? Seems like the theme song for our times and a good release valve for the end of another challenging week. Thanks to you and everyone at KEXP for all you do to bring us all hope and to create community. Jeff -- David Bowie wrote, “And love dares you to care for / The people on the edge of the night; / And love dares you to change our way of / Caring about ourselves.” --- Listen to Freddie Mercury and David Bowie's isolated vocals for "Under Pressure": bit.ly

Karl Hyde has in recent years revealed some interesting details about the night that spawned “Born Slippy,” as well as his evolving feelings about the song, which is best remembered for the “lager, lager, lager, lager, shouting” refrain. “The first time we played it live, people raised their lager cans and I was horrified, because I was still deep into alcoholism,” he admitted to The Guardian in 2006. “It was never meant to be a drinking anthem; it was a cry for help. Now, I don’t mind. Why ‘Born Slippy’? It was a greyhound we won money on.”: www.insomniac.com

“MAH” takes its name from its livid hook, which goes, “I’m mad as hell, I ain’t gonna take it no more.” -- Check out its corresponding laser-filled performance video, which was shot at the duo’s 2019 concerts at London’s Alexandra Palace.: www.youtube.com

The Levellers formed in 1988, bringing together five Brighton, England, musicians -- Mark Chadwick (vocals, guitar, banjo), Alan Miles (vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica), Jeremy Cunningham (bass, bouzouki), Charlie Heather (drums), and Jon Sevink (fiddle). "Throughout these troubled times, the Levellers have inspired people to question authority, to make a difference, and not to be kept in their place. ": www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk

This song was originally called "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Had" and it became a hit in the UK after being re-mixed by DJ Andy Weatherall. Weatherall completely reworked the song, adding a heavy bass groove echoing dub reggae, and a drum loop from an Italian bootleg mix of Edie Brickell's "What I Am," and interjecting layers of samples. Among the samples included are the central introductory sample from the Peter Fonda B-movie "The Wild Angels."

Interviewer: Which Carter USM single caused Ian Dury to consider getting someone to break your legs? Jim Bob Morrison: “‘Do Re Me, So Far So Good’.” Interviewer: CORRECT. Because he’d nearly finished writing a song with the same pun. -- Enjoy a delightful interview with this founder of Carter USM: bit.ly

Interviewer: "You wrote actually a very raw, intense, emotional song about your mother's death." John Lydon responded: "You could call it shout therapy... Sometimes words aren't enough to express your emotions; and you need the music combined." Lydon's mother died in 1978, shortly after her son's first fifteen minutes of fame with the Sex Pistols, but when he was still young, and both her death and the manner of her death had a profound effect on him.

Toronto band Odonis Odonis' new album, "Spectrums," will be released on October 15th. You can pre-order it (and get 6 tracks now) here: odonisodonis.bandcamp.com

You can learn to spell both "hospital" and "blood" if you listen to this song: www.stlyrics.com -- Here's live video of The Faint at KEXP's Hood to Hood celebration in 2014: blog.kexp.org

Someone wrote, "'Sad Sad City' soon became one of my new favorite songs. It’s like if Daft Punk and Prince had a baby." Watch Ghostland Observatory performing "Sad Sad City" live in Austin: bit.ly -- Then, watch the late Chris Cornell perform an acoustic version of this song: www.youtube.com

Oh, man, this video is definitely dedicated to dance: www.youtube.com

Speaking of dance... It's so much fun to see Jake Gyllenhaal starring as a serial killer in the video for "Time to Dance": www.youtube.com