This week on Mix Tape Memories ...

We are going Lo-Fi this week on Mix Tape Memories, for a tape that is barely holding together.  I recorded this tape in 1981 from Chicago radio. I was able to get one last play from it. And it still has some great music, which includes two songs from legendary Chicago DJ, Steve Dahl.

Steve Dahl came to Chicago in the late 70s and quickly made a name for himself with his on-air sidekick, Garry Meier. In 1981, the duo had a show on WLS FM, 94.7.  Dahl, and his band Teenage Radiation, recorded several parody songs at the time, much like Weird Al would later make famous. Two of those songs appear on this mix tape!

Other artists include Bryan Adams, Shooting Star, Go-Gos, Aerosmith,  Climax Blues Band, Billy Joel, Journey and Survivor.

Listen to Mix Tape Memories on Friday nights, at 8 pm central.

This episode repeats at 1am and 1pm next Wednesday.

Past episodes can be heard via Mixcloud.

It's Funky Feel-Good Friday

We are back to our regularly scheduled programing, folks.  And it's Friday. You know what that means.

via GIPHY

Still Holding on to Christmas?

I hate it when the clock strikes midnight on December 26 and all radio stations flip a switch as if Christmas never happened.  Not on Vinyl Voyage.

Today, we are continuing the Christmas music, mixed in with the our regular playlist.

We believe in letting you down easily.

Enjoy.

Song of the Week - "Weekend in New England" by Barry Manilow

Premiering at 9 am (central) on Thursday, December 28 is this week's Song of the Week: "Weekend in New England," by Barry Manilow.

This is played on my original 45 rpm single from 1976. See (and hear) it below:

"New" Christmas Albums for 2017

Our Christmas library gets bigger and bigger each year. We have been busy recording an eclectic mix of albums for inclusion in this year's Vinyl Christmas. This is a great mix of old and new.

My favorite new album is by Tracey Thorn, the vocalist from the band Everything But The Girl. Her album, Tinsel and Lights from 2012 is sublime; perhaps my favorite Christmas album.  I guarantee you will not be hearing any tracks from this album on terrestrial radio.

Brenda Lee, of course, is a staple for holiday classics. But she has other songs beyond "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree."  Ray Charles is new this year, too. Jazz vocalist Kenny Rankin has some wonderful takes on Christmas classics. Another Elvis is in the mix, too.

Plus, a very great (and rare) album from 1978:  Christmas Disco.

Take a listen. Vinyl Christmas runs through December 27 - Only on Vinyl Voyage Radio.

It's Time for the 5th Annual Vinyl Christmas

This all started back in 2012. Vinyl Voyage Radio was a little over a year old.  And I was tired of all of the crap played on terrestrial radio around Christmas. It was like they played the same songs every hour. How many times can a human being listen to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You"?

So, I unboxed a bunch of Christmas albums I inherited from my parents and grandparents and went to work. Since then, our library has more than tripled. And every year we add more.

Come home to Vinyl Voyage Radio for a very special "Vinyl Christmas." These are all of the songs you may remember if you lived in the age of vinyl. You'll hear some familiar classics. But also something you may have not heard in decades. Or something old, that will be for you brand new.

Merry Christmas!

The Song of the Week - "My Favorite Things" by Tony Bennett

We are in full swing now for our Vinyl Christmas here at Vinyl Voyage Radio. For this week, we are spinning a great track from Tony Bennett's  1968 release, Snowfall.  And that track is a jazzed up version of "My Favorite Things."

A new Song of the Week premieres every Wednesday at 10am Central. It then repeats at 10pm and then a few more times throughout the week.

Listen to it played on original vinyl below:

Song of the Week - "Bad" by U2

My favorite U2 song has always been "Bad," released in 1984 on their great The Unforgettable Fire album. However, the best recording of the song is a live version from their 1985 release, Wide Awake in America. This is the Vinyl Voyage Song of the Week, premiering at 9am Wednesday and repeated at 9pm (Central)


Listen to it now on YouTube:

Song of the Week Anthology, Weeks 21-30

Did you miss any episode of "The Song of the Week" over the last ten weeks? Don't worry. We've got you covered. Catch up with the "Song of the Week Anthology."

You can listen to the Anthology at the following times:

8am and 8pm Wednesday, December 13
3 am Thursday, December 14
4 pm Saturday, December 16
1 pm Sunday, December 17

Or, you can listen to it on-demand via Mixcloud

Next on Mix Tape Memories - "Many Songs #4" from 1986

This is one of the few mix tapes I have with the date of creation. In this case, October 18, 1986. I was a freshman in college and listened to this tape taking the bus home on weekends. It features many songs I gleaned from others, in all honesty.

But it really represents the music of my life at that moment in my life.

Just like a good mix tape does.

New episodes of Mix Tape Memories can heard every Friday night at 8pm (central) on Vinyl Voyage Radio.  Past episodes can be heard on-demand via Mixcloud.

Song of the Week - "Midnight" by Yaz

Upstairs at Eric's is one of the best albums of the 1980s. It was hard to pick a song off this debut from the UK synth-pop duo Yaz. Fronted by Alison Moyet there was not a better pop singer in the 80s.

On this episode of Song of the Week, we are spinning the song "Midnight."

You can hear the Song of the Week at 10am and 10pm (Central) every Wednesday.

Only on Vinyl Voyage Radio.

Lost Adventures in Vinyl Episode!

We have produced 53 episodes of Adventures in Vinyl. This one was never added to the archive. Listen to it now! This is The Rock Album, a K-Tel record from 1980. The episode originally aired on Vinyl Voyage back in 2013. It is now available on-demand via Mixcloud.

This Month on AiV: Album 2 of "Super Star Collection" from 1978

Last month, we listened to record 1. This month, we are spinning record 2 of Super Star Collection, a great K-Tel compilation from 1978. This disc has hits from Abba, Johnny Rivers, Steely Dan, the Bay City Rollers and many, many more!

This episode premieres at 4 pm (central) on December 3.

Or, you can listen to it on-demand via Mixcloud.

Mix Tape Memories: "Oh, For a Muse of Fire"

Tonight on Mix Tape Memories we are going back to 1991 for a Mix Tape I made for my long commute to my first real job. This tape contains songs from 10,000 Maniacs, Sam Phillips, REM, Alison Moyet, Indigo Girls, U2 and many more.

New episodes of Mix Tape Memories premiere every Friday night at 8 pm central. The episode then repeats at 1 am and 1 pm central the following Wednesday.

Only on Vinyl Voyage Radio.