Recent posts
- Bob Dylan’s greatest compositions year by year: 1969 – I’ll have you any time
- Key West part 15: Amelia
- Theme Time Radio Hour: Dogs and neighbours
- Do the earliest of Dylan’s recordings actually entertain, or indeed tell us anything?
By Tony Attwood
Sometimes I have what I think is quite an interesting idea, but then after a while I find I’ve expressed most of my view and feel it is time to stop. This was how I was feeling when I discovered a complete copy of one of the “Theme Time Radio Hours” shows that I rather like, so I thought, time to stop and just offer up that complete show – in case you haven’t found it.
Now, when this happened, I was partway through working on the episode “Radio” so I have kept three recordings from that programme, and then below offer the complete programme “Number 1” just in case you have not heard it, or have lost your copy, or…. well, just in case
So I start with “Turn your radio on” from Grandpa Jones recorded in 1965. It is in case you don’t know it, summed up by the opening lines
Come and listen in to a radio station Where the mighty host of Heaven sing
The second song I selected from Episode 18 (Radio) was one I actually remembered from earlier days, and I include this for two negative reasons. One is I find the video rather disturbing (that must be something to do with my brain, but I find all sped-up videos like this very unhelpful to my well-being), and the other is I don’t enjoy the song with its endless procession of just two chords. I know there are variations but …. well… it is a long time to wait to get to what is a rather uninspiring organ solo.
The third choice has the added attraction of actually having a melody, not to mention some form. Plus the fact that Elvis Costello knew how to write songs that are varied from the mainstream in terms of rhythm, melody, sequence, and indeed surprises.
So, just in case you haven’t got this, here is Bob’s Theme Time Radio House – Number One. In full – the whole one hour. But in doing this I am reminded why I decided to offer the songs without Bob’s chat. I do utterly love his music, of course, otherwise I wouldn’t run this site, but really, I don’t find his chats very interesting or endearing. But here they all are, across one complete show – just in case you had forgotten how the songs went.
First broadcast: 2 January 2008. The songs Bob played were….
- “One” – Harry Nilsson
- “First Time I Met The Blues” – Buddy Guy
- “The One You Slip Around With” – Jan Howard with Wynn Stewart’s Band
- “Dedicated to the One I Love” – The 5 Royales
- “One Night” – Smiley Lewis
- “One Night” – Elvis Presley
- “First I Look at the Purse” – The Contours
- “Johnny One Note” – Anita O’Day
- “One Meat Ball” – Josh White
- “I’m The One Who Loves You” – The Impressions
- “Make Us One” – Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks
- “One Time, One Night” – Los Lobos
- “Just One More Time” – Billy Gayles with Ike Turner’s The Kings of Rhythm
- “One Step Beyond” – Prince Buster
- “Just One More” – George Jones
- “One More Mile To Go” – Otis Spann