Alan Haber's Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and new-to-you releases. Pure Pop Radio plays the greatest melodic pop in the universe 24 hours a day.
Our Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation interview with author Candy Leonard, whose wonderful book, Beatleness, is being enjoyed by Beatle people all around the world, is now posted on our PodOmatic podcast page. Click here to listen. (The show was first broadcast on March 26.) Enjoy!
Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation is Internet radio’s premiere melodic pop talk show. In Conversation puts the spotlight on artists, writers, music critics and record company executives who talk candidly with Alan Haber about their work. Archived, podcast versions of more than 60 interviews are posted on the In Conversation PodOmatic podcast page; click here to listen to a wide variety of shows previously broadcast on Pure Pop Radio.
The hit podcast, Things We Said Today, premiered last week on Pure Pop Radio. The roundtable members–Ken Michaels, Steve Marinucci, Al Sussman, and Allan Kozinn–rocked the house as they conducted an in-depth interview with Glen Burtnik from the Weeklings.
The regular panel of top Beatles experts, joined by special guest Darren DeVivo, longtime WFUV radio personality, turn their attention to the subject of the Traveling Wilburys, the pop and roll supergroup that released two great albums in 1988 and 1990. Things We Said Today airs tonight at 9 pm ET on Pure Pop Radio
This week’s hourlong back-and-forth kicks off with a look at the first Wilburys album, Vol. 1, and continues with a discussion of how the band got started recording “Handle With Care,” a song that was originally intended to be a b-side but was thought to be too good for that kind of designation. Thus, the Wilburys were born, delighting music fans worldwide.
Please note that, because last night’s broadcast of Ken Michaels’ Every Little Thing got gobbled up in a sea of technical difficulties, it will run again tonight before Things We Said Today, at 8 pm ET.
Things We Said Today airs every Tuesday night at 9 pm ET on Pure Pop Radio. See you on the radio!
David Myhr makes a return visit to Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation Wednesday night, April 1, at 8 pm ET on the occasion of the release of his new digital single which pairs two songs he recorded for compilations. Of course, other interesting topics are on tap.
David’s digital single, a classic double a-side, features a poppy cover of Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney’s “Veronica,” which originally appeared on Costello’s 1989 album, Spike, and features on the recently released compilation, Beyond Belief: A Tribute to Elvis Costello. A poppy update of Secret Service’s 1979 hit, “Oh Susie,” also spins on this great release. David talks about why he chose to record both songs and much more, and we play both tunes.
Also on the docket during Wednesday night’s show: David takes us on a tour of his recent, successful trip to the United States, during which he met and wrote songs with pop artists from coast to coast. He relates great anecdotes about meeting and writing with artists such as Linus of Hollywood and the Davenports’ Scott Klass as he was traveling coast to coast. There is much more discussed during the program, one of our favorite shows of recent vintage.
Tune in this coming Wednesday night at 8 pm ET to hear David talk about his new digital single and to hear the songs that you are going to love.
Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation is Internet radio’s premiere melodic pop talk show. In Conversation puts the spotlight on artists, writers, music critics and record company executives who talk candidly with Alan Haber about their work. Archived, podcast versions of interviews are posted on the In Conversation PodOmatic podcast page; click here to listen to a wide variety of shows previously broadcast on Pure Pop Radio.
Ken Michaels’ Every Little Thing…For the Beatles Fan Who Craves All Things Fab! Airs Every Monday at 9 pm ET on Pure Pop Radio!
A typically enjoyable opening segment, a look at a song that influenced the Beatles, and a salute to Motown great Smokey Robinson anchor tonight’s edition of Ken Michaels’ Every Little Thing. The fun begins at 9 pm ET on Pure Pop Radio.
Ken gets things rolling with his opening set of songs from both the Beatles and solo Beatles catalogs. First up: a live version of George Harrison’s “I Want to Tell You.” Next: Paul McCartney’s classic from Tug of War, “Take It Away.” Also spinning: John Lennon’s “Steel and Glass,” the Beatles’ “Lady Madonna,” and Ringo Starr’s “Gave It All Up.” Very cool.
Tonight’s second segment looks at a song that influenced the Beatles. In the spotlight: Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross,” which influenced the sound of the Fabs’ Abbey Road favorite, “Sun King.” For those listeners who like to know where things come from, this segment will be an eye-opener and a favorite.
In segment number three, Ken presents a salute to Smokey Robinson. From George Harrison’s “Ooh Baby (You Know that I Love You)” to his “Pure Smokey,” this is a loving set that is bursting with heart. You won’t want to miss it.
It’s all for you tonight on Ken Michaels’ Every Little Thing. Tune in to Pure Pop Radio at 9 pm ET so you don’t miss a note. Enjoy!
For the 13th entry in his Songs of the Week project, Timmy Sean has turned the amps up to 11 for a rockin’ pop and roll number that will quite simply take your breath away.
“Hey Jodie” brings back sweet memories of listening to FM radio in the ’70s and ’80s. It’s a rock ‘n’ roll-meets-pop number with all the hallmarks of a classic radio hit: ramped-up guitars, a great melody, propulsive drums, and an electric guitar workout towards the end that quite simply could, and should, usher in a new era of air guitar heroes.
Timmy says: “Here’s another brand new solo version of a song I originally wrote for LUZER. I usually try to steer clear of talking about lyrics because I think it tends to take a bit of the ‘mystery’ away from the song, but this one I think has a little bit of a surprising inspiration coming from the Dave Matthews Band’s ‘Crash Into Me.’
“I always liked the idea of something that sounds very innocent and poppy or romantic on first listen, and then you realize it’s something darker or even sinister. I heard Dave Matthews once say that ‘Crash Into Me’ was about a voyeur peering in on a woman. I took some inspiration from that and wrote the lyrics to ‘Hey Jodie’ about someone who couldn’t separate television from reality, and began to stalk an ex-child star actress.”
Get the rockin’ and poppin’ “Hey Jodie” for your very own by clicking here. To get all of Timmy’s music, clickhere. Be here next week for another entry in Timmy Sean’s Songs of the Week project. The fun rolls on!
Bringing you songs and artists new to the Pure Pop Radio playlist is our favorite thing to do in the whole wide world. We sure do know the feeling that hits you when you read about and then hear something that makes you smile–something that raises the hair on the back of your neck and makes you tap your toes, or dance the night or the early afternoon away, or take up air guitar or air piano or air celesta. In some measure, and this is a well know truth–in some measure what you hear changes your life, and when that happens, well, we’ve done our job.
So here is some more music that’s currently spinning in rotation–music that will make you happy!
Popboomerang Records | (PB:100) Popboomerang Records’ Scott Thurling knows how to throw a party. He’s celebrating the 99th record released by his company with a gala, 100th musical extravaganza–a two-CD set stocked deep with specially-recorded and previously-unreleased tracks from his label’s artists and friends. (PB:100) features 32 smashing songs from a diverse roster of artists. Job well done: we’ve added 11 great numbers to the playlist, including the Solicitors’ quirky “His Robe” and Kelly’s Heels’ “Popboomerang,” a catchy, upbeat label-history-in-song that celebrates Scott’s longstanding brief of exposing great sounds to music lovers all over the world. The aforementioned songs are now playing in rotation, along with the Killjoys’ “Marching Out of Time,” Danny McDonald’s “The Melbourne Divide,” The Little Murders’ “Kings Cross Dawning,” Central Rain’s “What a Day,” Tim Reid’s “In the Dark,” D. Rogers’ “Don’t Smile ’til Easter,” Mick Thomas’ “Mermaid Song,” Lazybirds’ “Slinky Skanky,” and Jona Byron’s “Sun Daughter.” (PB:100) drops April 1; pick up a copy and help support a worthy independent record label.
Spencer Albee | Mistakes Were Made Get ready for a wild blast of cool air that will toss you across your living room, through your front door, and to the far side of your yard. Spencer Albee’s hall-of-fame worthy album, Mistakes Were Made, will thrill you, delight you, and make you beg for more. A multi-instrumental wonder, Spencer dons all manner of pop music masks: uptempo balladeer in the harmony rich title song; straight-ahead popster in “So Bad”; infectious, retro, late-period Beach Boys funster in the delectable “Put Your Sweatshirt On”; and pure popster in the melodic love song, “This Will Be Our Year.” The sumptuous tip of the hat to the late ’50s/early ’60s, the catchy “I Don’t Know,” and the four-on-the-floor rhythm happy joy of “One 2 Three” are more highlights. So is the jaunty, clapalongable “Hold Me Close,” and ditto for the heartbreaking piano instrumental, “Something Something Heartbreak.” Well, we could go on, and we will at a later date, but for now… we swear on a stack of pop album classics that this is the real deal. We’re playing almost all of these incredible songs: “Mistakes Were Made,” “So Bad,” “Put Your Sweatshirt On,” “I Don’t Know,” “One 2 Three,” “This Will Be Our Year,” “Why am I a Fool,” “Something Something Heartbreak,” “So Long,” “Please Come Home,” “Skulls,” “Love is Not Enough,” It’s Not the End of the World,” and “Hold Me Close.” A sure bet for best of 2015 honors. In a few words, this is so very grand and, in just one word…wow! Get this for your very own when it drops on May 1. Come on, get Spencer!
Brandon Schott | Dandelion (Live at the Treatment Room, January 10, 2008) Recorded in a friend’s studio as a way of sketching out songs for his next album, Brandon Schott laid his emotions on the line. He was in the eighth week of a 12-week-long chemotherapy treatment. “I wanted to get these songs down in the moment, as it was happening,” Brandon says. Some of the songs were later re-recorded for his record Dandelion. As heard on this heartfelt album, these songs, sung with simple accompaniment, may be the singer-songwriter’s most revealing collection yet. Records like this don’t come along every day; we wanted to be sure to play some of these songs in rotation so listeners could experience their majesty. We eagerly await Brandon’s new studio record, coming soon; until then, spin this recording as a reminder of how wonderful an artist Brandon is. We’ve added nearly the entire album to our playlist: “It’s Alright (Baby Blue),” “Unknown,” “Falling Forward,” “Four Winds,” “Fire Season,” “Toward the Sun,” “Blue Star Highway,” “All Will Be Well,” and “The Last Swan.” [One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of this album are being donated to Gilda’s Club NYC, an organization that supports, educates and empowers cancer patients and their families.]
The Davenports | “Five Steps ’15” and “Away from Me” This latest release from Scott Klass and the Davenports, a true double a-side single, pairs a newly-arranged and remixed version of “Five Steps,” which originally appeared on the group’s debut album Speaking of the Davenports and continues to be part of the A&E network show, Intervention, with the brand-new song, “Away from Me.” Full of slightly obtuse imagery and the usual mastery of language, “Away from Me”‘s lyrics make a case for disconnection. Yin meets and overpowers yang: “There’s a heart around a number on the paper in the case/In a glove compartment–chaos by the seat loved out of place/With a boy beside the window with an answer in your face/Smiling as he drives away from me.” And, yang meets and topples over yin: “Every mile up in the air/Every masterful win–I’d burn it to cinders/To be tangled up in your hair/Sturdy inside September.” The song starts out as sort of a lazy country and western number, but the slightly ominous-sounding strings cast a pall over the proceedings. Scott’s sturdy yet rubbery vocal in the chorus creates added tension even as it carries forward as a beautiful expression of melody. It’s another superb song in a long line of superb Davenports songs, and we’re now playing it, along with “Five Steps ’15,” in rotation.
Vanilla | “Katherine the Grating” Variety is the chief spice in Jayson Jarmon and company’s rack, as evidenced by the new, twelfth song released as part of the growing album-to-come, Vanilla 2.0. A bouncing snare drum leads into a lively, show-type catchy tune, all surface smiles and virtue with a darker purpose afoot: a girl leaves her baby’s care in her guy’s hands. She vamooses. She’s a no remorse kind of gal: “Why oh why did the rabbit die?/Leaving me up to my eyes in diapers.” She isn’t called Katherine the Grating for nothing. When Jayson is finished with Vanilla 2.0, expect and, well, demand that it winds up on every best of 2015 list known to man…or Katherine. Awesome.
Jared Lekites | Five Separate Lives We’re always thrilled to bring new music from Jared Lekites to your waiting ears. This time around, Jared has released a single featuring two songs written for the soundtrack of the movie, You’re Killing Me. “Five Separate Lives” is a bouncy pop song with a great melody; a lovely middle-eight; and a great, catchy chorus. “And It’s Over,” a chronicle of a broken relationship, is a marvel of a number with soaring vocal harmonies and a luscious melody. Of course, we’re playing both of these songs in rotation. Next up: Jared’s upcoming album with Connor Anderson, billed under the name the Lunar Laugh. We can’t wait.
Miss Tess and the Talkbacks | “One Match Fire” We’d never heard of Miss Tess and the Talkbacks prior to bumping into this joyous and masterful country-rock number, being released on Record Store Day this coming April 18. Until you can hold this limited edition 7-inch in your hot little hands, you can hear it playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio. It’s a great number, another don’t miss track, without a doubt.
Quakers on Probation | Love and Distance Pop and rock and roll and a dash of contemporary spice are at the heart of this band from the Pacific Northwest. Their songs are atmospheric and catchy and we’re spinning five from this terrific album: “Cosmic Crawl,” “The Honorable Mention,” “Love and Distance,” “Story of Your Life,” and “Out of the Blue.” Great stuff.
A strong lineup of artists and songs, wouldn’t you say? We’ve got more treasures coming up next week. Keep listening to Pure Pop Radio for the greatest melodic pop from the ’60s to today!
We’re very happy to announce that the weekly, hit podcast Things We Said Today will air every Tuesday night at 9 pm ET on Pure Pop Radio. The first show airs tonight, March 24. Things We Said Today joins our other Beatles show, Ken Michaels’ Every Little Thing, in carrying forward our quest to provide the greatest Fab content available to radio listeners today.
Steve Marinucci
Things We Said Today is hosted by a quartet of Beatles experts–today’s Fab Four, if you will. Ken Michaels is joined by Beatlefan Executive Editor Al Sussman, Steve Marinucci (Beatles Examiner), and Allan Kozinn, longtime music critic and Beatles expert. Other well-known Beatle people sometimes sit in with the core group, including Darren DeVivo, longtime WFUV radio personality.
Allan Kozinn
Al Sussman
Tonight, Ken and his co-hosts talk with musician Glen Burtnik from the early-to-mid-period, Beatles-influenced band, the Weeklings. The group’s debut, self-titled album was released on March 10 on the Jem Recordings label. Glen, who appeared on our own Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation on March 5, talks to the Today hosts in a conversation that guarantees a good time for all!
Things We Said Today airs every Tuesday night at 9 pm ET on Pure Pop Radio. Enjoy!
Author Candy Leonard puts a name to the feeling that Beatles fans have always had about their favorite group. Candy’s wonderful book, Beatleness, is a fascinating trip through Fab Four history with a decidedly different perspective–rather than simply recount the group’s history, she spoke to hundreds of Beatles fans who told her how they felt about the group’s music at different points in their career. Did fans react more favorably to early songs? How did they feel when the group broke up and went their separate ways?
All of this and more is discussed in Beatleness.This Thursday, March 26 at 8 pm ET, Candy sits in with Alan Haber to talk about her book and comment on how fans felt about three great Beatles songs: “Norwegian Wood,” “Nowhere Man,” and “The Word.” The whole world gathered together to experience the Beatles phenomenon. Candy’s extensive research pays off with unique perspectives from baby boomer fans.
Tune in this Thursday, March 26 at 8 pm ET to hear Candy talk about Beatleness. You may be surprised at what you hear!
[Updated March 24, 2015] We’re very happy to announce that the weekly, hit podcast Things We Said Today will air every Tuesday night at 9 pm ET on Pure Pop Radio. The first show airs tomorrow night, Tuesday, March 24. Things We Said Today joins our other Beatles show, Ken Michaels’ Every Little Thing, in carrying forward our quest to provide the greatest Fab content available to radio listeners today.
Al Sussman
Things We Said Today is hosted by a quartet of Beatles experts–today’s Fab Four, if you will. Ken Michaels is joined by Beatlefan Executive Editor Al Sussman, Steve Marinucci (Beatles Examiner), and Allan Kozinn, longtime music critic and Beatles expert. Other well-known Beatle people sometimes sit in with the core group, including Darren DeVivo, longtime WFUV radio personality.
Steve Marinucci
Allan Kozinn
Tomorrow night, Ken and his co-hosts talk with musician Glen Burtnik from the early-to-mid-period, Beatles-influenced band, the Weeklings. The group’s debut, self-titled album was released on March 10 on the Jem Recordings label. Glen, who appeared on our own Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation on March 5, talks to the Today hosts in a conversation that guarantees a good time for all!
Things We Said Today will run every Tuesday night at 9 pm ET on Pure Pop Radio. Enjoy!
Ken Michaels’ Every Little Thing…For the Beatles Fan Who Craves All Things Fab! Airs Every Monday at 9 pm ET on Pure Pop Radio!
This can not be stressed enough: Uke are going to love this edition of Ken Michaels’ Every Little Thing. For show 58, Ken has assembled a great set of tunes that feature an instrument beloved by George Harrison, the ukelele. But there’s more to savor tonight, assuming you’re tuned tonight to Pure Pop Radio at 9 pm ET.
Ken kicks off the show with six Beatles and solo Beatles songs; John Lennon’s “I’m Losing You” is up first, followed by, among other numbers, the Fabs’ “No Reply” and a tribute to our favorite group from singer-songwriter Marc Platt (“I Dreamed I Saw the Beatles”).
Segment two features commentary from the Cute Beatle, Paul McCartney, and two songs from the New album: the rollicking “Queenie Eye” and “Hell to Pay.” The Fabs also appear with “Carol.”
And then, it’s time to break out the ukes! George Harrison starts things off with his wonderful rendition of “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.” Paul and Linda McCartney sing “Ram On” and the Cars’ Greg Hawkes contributes a version of the Beatles’ “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.” It’s a groovy uke-a-rifficset everyone will enjoy.
Tune in to Pure Pop Radio tonight at 9 pm ET for another great edition of Ken Michaels’ Every Little Thing. And stay tuned after the show for more of the greatest melodic pop music in the universe! See you on the radio!
Our Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation interview with author Candy Leonard, whose wonderful book, Beatleness, is being enjoyed by Beatle people all around the world, is now posted on our PodOmatic podcast page. Click here to listen. (The show was first broadcast on March 26.) Enjoy!
