April 27th - Bands with numbers!

Since the temperature has been in or close to the 90's for the last several days, this picture will try to help cool me off. Thanks to Steve Harris for the photo and for the creation of "Snowhenge" in his back yard over the winter!

John's guest this week was Scottish band The Strike Nineteens. I enjoyed the interview and thought they had some very good songs. Since they were the band of the week, John told me I should pick bands that had numbers in their names. It seemed like the type of challenge that I would be up to. I could have copped out and gone with U2 or The B-52's or Black 47 or a bunch of others, but I could never do that. Instead, I sent John songs by Havana 3am, 801, fig.4, Strontium 90, The Forty-Fives, Dream 6 and Old 97's. I almost sent him music by M-3, The 6ths, The Minus 5 and a few others, but I knew we wouldn't have time.


I sent John a couple songs by a band called Strontium 90. Strontium 90 was a band that Mike Howlett formed after he left Gong in the mid 70's. They never released an album while they were together, but have become famous because the rest of the band consisted of Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland. One of the songs I sent (but didn't expect John to play) was a demo version of Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, which was recorded in the fall of 1976. John surprised me by playing it.

There was one band that I sent that didn't have a number in their name, but the song had a number in it. The song was 25 O'Clock and the band was The Dukes Of Stratosphear. The Dukes were really XTC and this ep came out on April 1, 1985. I had a story from college to go with this song and if you listened to the show last night, you got to hear that story. The 25 O'Clock ep(including bonus tracks) has just been re-released, along with the 2nd Dukes album Psonic Psunspot(also with bonus tracks) on Andy Partridge's Ape House label. If you like Psychedelic 60's inspired music, then you will love this.

Here is what we ended up playing last night during Donohue's Music Den:
Sting - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (solo demo from the Strontium 90 album Police Academy)
The Dukes Of Stratosphear - 25 O'Clock
801 - T.N.K. (Tomorrow Never Knows)
fig. 4 - Naola
The Forty-Fives - Lost Track Of You
Havana 3am - Blue Motorcycle Eyes
Old 97's - King Of All The World

For those of you playing at home, 801 was a band from the mid 70's that included Phil Manzanera and Brian Eno. fig.4 was an Ohio band from the mid-80's and their leader was Tobin Sprout, who would later join Guided By Voices. The Forty-Fives are a garage band from Atlanta Ga. Havana 3am was a short-lived band formed in the early 90's by Clash bassist Paul Simonon and guitarist Gary Myrick (from 80's "new wave" band Gary Myrick and The Figures). And Finally, the Old 97's are a country/rock band that features lead singer Rhett Miller (who has had some bigtime success as a solo artist).

Next week I will be playing some Richard X. Heyman, because John wants to hear some Richard X. Heyman. In addition to that, I'm not sure. Maybe some Michael Mazzarella or Tommy Keene or Matt Keating or someone else that I haven't thought of yet. Hmmmmmm......