By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio
Beatlefan Executive Editor Al Sussman joined me on July 11 for another rousing edition of Two Als Talking Tunes, for which we redressed the virtual Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation set as if it were on the beach to allow us to play some favorite sun-soaked records and toss out some earth-shattering chart facts and figures.
Our theme for this go-round was summer songs that were about the season or were hits under the summer sun. Al and I, after slathering on the SPF (it was virtually hot out there!), chose three each and played and talked about them in our usual joyous, easygoing, fact-filled style. Al’s picks: Nat King Cole’s “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer”; Bruce and Terry’s “Summer Means Fun”; and Aretha Franklin’s version of “I Say a Little Prayer.” I chose Stevie Wonder’s “Summer Soft”; Sly and the Family Stone’s “Hot Fun in the Summertime”; and the Association’s “Windy.” The show ended with a bonus classic from the Beach Boys–the single version of “Fun, Fun, Fun.”
Listen to the summer songs edition of Two Als Talking Tunes with Al Sussman, originally broadcast on July 11, by clicking the play button on the following player, or click on the Pure Pop Radio button to the left to download (then right click and choose “Save audio as” to save the file to your computer). (This interview is presented in scoped format; the songs have been removed due to copyright concerns.)
Take the songs played during this show for a test drive by clicking on the following Spotify links:
- Nat King Cole’s “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer”| https://open.spotify.com/track/0ItlbY5mHDSYQd3SOgAlZu?si=Su0UPCn3Q7mLEbA7MET5cA
- Stevie Wonder’s “Summer Soft” | https://open.spotify.com/track/4nnjZfEGTEtxA9XeqVhDRJ?si=2QpvE8mlSLCqe65-_VM0aw
- Bruce and Terry’s “Summer Means Fun” | https://open.spotify.com/track/4Z7iDFkWNxRfjd9jvLgbbI?si=xeXtDUkNSX6fPMySFesNMQ
- Sly and the Family Stone’s “Hot Fun in the Summertime” | https://open.spotify.com/track/4t6NQkpUmvpvLDCkl3XuwA?si=xaW3L0nmTBSBeVktCBpgMw
- Aretha Franklin’s “I Say a Little Prayer” | https://open.spotify.com/track/3NfxSdJnVdon1axzloJgba?si=EtOPnEnSTaKBCyzjXhjetA
- The Association’s “Windy” | https://open.spotify.com/track/6RUpOheT93fUdI508K5w6U?si=M5e4vRYESNKCIu_b9DGcZQ
Listen to a wide selection of previously-aired Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation interviews by clicking here.
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Pure Pop Radio’s signature shows, Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation (Wednesday, 9 pm ET) and Alan Haber’s Pop Tunes Deejay Show (Thursday, 8 pm ET), air exclusively on Pop that Goes Crunch Radio.
Tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 9 pm ET, the Davenports’ Scott Klass joins me for for a typically in-depth hour on the latest Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation program. The Davenports’ new album, Don’t Be Mad at Me, is another feather in the band’s cap, offering up 10 melodically-charged, literate pop songs for your listening, dancing and romancing pleasure.
An hour’s worth of songs that will also burrow in your brain will happily spin during this Thursday night’s all-new Pop Tunes Deejay Show (8 pm ET), which offers up new and new-to-you tunes from the Weeklings–a tantalizing cover of the Beatles’ “Baby, You’re a Rich Man”–and three more Weeklings classics; new tracks from Nick Piunti, Bubble Gum Orchestra, Farrington, Dana Countryman, Ginger Root, Sean Solo, Astral Drive, and Vanilla; and classics from Harpers Bizarre, Jim Boggia, Matthew Sweet and Susannah Hoffs. Plus: a fun set devoted to the music of NRBQ.
On Thursday night at 8 pm ET, an all-new edition of Alan Haber’s Pop Tunes Deejay Show rolls with the brand new single from the Weeklings, a typically Weeklings-ized version of a Beatles tune. This time around, they’ve made “Baby, You’re a Rich Man” their own, and embedded an Easter egg–the Weeklings’ specialty–that you have to be paying close attention to catch. But don’t worry–I’ve provided a clue for you all.
We continue spreading the melodic joy on Thursday, July 12, when an all-new edition of Alan Haber’s Pop Tunes Deejay Show rolls at 8 pm ET. The contents of this show are a mystery at this time (even to me, because I haven’t recorded the show yet!). You can expect the usual mix of new and new-to-you classics from across the decades, with a special emphasis on the latest releases. It’s going to be the usual hour full of fun!
First Thing Tomorrow is a bona fide melodic pop smash, full of lovely, catchy melodies and songs. In addition to talking about three of the songs on the album, Dave took listeners on a tour of his history: Currently a national baseball writer for the Washington Post, he almost became a professional opera singer before swinging into professional journalism (he’s worked at the Post for nearly 20 years).
During this rebroadcast of a classic program, Dee looked back at the making of Sir Army Suit and talked about three of his songs included on the album: “Everybody Took a Holiday,” “Perpetual Motion Machine,” and “Cherie.” It’s fun to go in-depth on this classic album from one of the great melodic pop bands of all time
