​*This artist was the co-leader of this fantastic band that illuminated the '70's music scene.  But as the 1980's dawned, the band's golden days were dimming, leading this artist to his first solo album.  And it's success carried over with additional albums, until the band came back together.  Name the band and the artist.
 
*A school teacher previewed an assignment to their class one day.  The teacher played this song and instructed the class to analyze what the songwriter was feeling.  One student was inspired to write from the perspective of what the song meant to his home town.  This track might even inspire thoughts of your home town.  Name the song and the artist if you can.
 
*This band had 3 lead singers and their name is fashioned after a 'rudimentary nightly temperature gauge."  Hugely popular band in the 70's.  What was the name of the band?
 
*The artist Sting got along quite well with another musician that not many people would have guessed.  They shared a drummer (Vinny Colaiuta) , who came to Sting's band from the other artist. And Sting made a guest appearance at one of the mystery artist's live shows.  Name the artist.
 
 
Battle Of The Bands!
Keeping The Faith by Billy Joel  vs  Dancing In The Dark by Bruce Springsteen
 
Answers:
1. Steely Dan  Donald Fagen   2. My Little Town by Simon & Garfunkel
3. Three Dog Night   4. Frank Zappa
Bruce Springsteen won by the slimmest of margins

*The brother of this band's frontman wrote a poem when he was 15 that his brother and this band used as the basis for this song.  The song contrasts what its like to live in a large city during the day and during the night.  The particular city in question...New York City.   Name the band and the song
​
*The story of this great track from 1973 is about a man who meets the woman he believes is the true love of his life in the lobby of a Hotel...and he immediately makes a lifelong commitment to her, promising her the storied house on the edge of town with the white picket fence.  In the end, she leaves his crying in his beer.  Name the song and the band
 
*This song from 1977 begins with the guy getting kicked to the curb by his girl, presumably because he won't tell her he loves her.  He makes the case that even though he will never love her, he's good enough, since after all he does want her and need her, and happy endings are only for fairy tales.  All this translates into the title of the track...can you name it?
 
*This artist grew up in Seymour, Indiana, where he claims nobody had ever become famous.   Ignoring the many naysayers, he went to New York and earned a record deal, which turns out was not that big a deal, as labels were hiring photogenic young rockers by the hundreds.  While he got fed up and did not play the games the industry deemed necessary, he clashed with the establishment, but in the end...became a huge success.  Name the artist
 
 
Battle Of The Bands!
I Can’t Quit Her by Blood, Sweat & Tears  vs  Another Rainy Day by Chicago
 
Answers:
1.Summer In The City by Lovin’ Spoonful   2. Dixie Chicken by Little Feat
3. Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad by MeatLoaf      4. John Mellencamp
Blood, Sweat & Tears won by the slimmest of margins

​*This artist did not play baseball, but he loved watching it and hearing the stories his father would tell him about the legendary New York Yankees.  This song honors the players that were heroes to him as long as he can remember.  Name the artist and the song.
*Ghost Riders In The Sky was a 1948 Cowboy song by Stan Jones, but the more famous versions were later recorded by Johnny Cash and Bing Crosby.  The song was also an inspiration for an early 70's rock band, whose version was a big hit with a slightly different title.  Name the band, their famous front man and the song.
 
*This artist sold over 3,000,000 copies of his 1994 album in the US alone.  He had plans to re-release it as a double album and then play it straight through on a special tour.  He kept it a secret from everyone, including his band, thinking they could read about the plan in Rolling Stone magazine, kind of like everyone else.  Unfortunately, the artist passed away prior to this all coming together.  Name the artist and the album if you can.
 
*This song had a title and lyrics inspired by an oft-use expression by Jackie Gleason.  The song created a fantasy world where the artist was the object of all of his woman's affections.  Name the artist and the song.
 
Battle Of The Bands!
What It Is by Mark Knopfler  vs  Let’s Dance by David Bowie
 
Answers:
1.Centerfield by John Fogerty   2. Riders On The Storm by The Doors Jim Morrison
3. Wildflowers by Tom Petty     4. How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You by Marvin Gaye
David Bowie came out ahead in the Battle by 15 - 11

​*This famous band was signed to the MCA Record company for $9,000. so you can imagine the time frame.  The band was largely unknown when they performed at an event call "Sounds Of The South" press party.  The song we will play was written specifically for this event and largely had over 500 hardened industry vets standing on their chairs to get a glimpse of group.  Name the band and the song.
 
*The Gap wanted to use this band and one of their hits in a commercial, but Apple Records owned the rights to the song and asked for an enormous sum of money and The Gap turned it down.  Name the band...and the song which might be a bit more difficult.
 
*As a teenager in 1960, this artist attended a concert for jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, which served as a catalyst for starting a rock band with a horn section.  His first band resisted putting one together so he quit and went to California to get one started.  Name the artist and the band.
 
*This song is a homage to the teenage rebellion songs of the '50's.  It's about a kid whose conservative parents held him to a 10:00 PM curfew.  He was stuck while everyone else was out there having fun.  The duo who performed this great tune lament the success of the song, (it became most popular), but they didn't feel like it was their best work.  Name the group and the song.
 
 
Battle Of The Bands! Homeward Bound by Fleetwood Mac  vs  Deja Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
 
Answers:
1.Workin’ For MCA by Lynyrd Skynrd     2. No Matter What by Badfinger
3. Al Kooper  Chicago        4. Your Mama Don’t Dance by Loggins and Messina
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young won the Battle with 62% of votes

​*We'll dip into a great album with a street address title for a name.  It refers to the address where the artist lived, but the address was later changed after the album's release due to fans flocking to the property.  Who was the artist and the name of the album?
 
*Little Anthony and The Imperials first released this song as a single in 1964, but there was another artist whose version was by far, the most successful recording of the song in 1980.  Name the artist and the song.
 
*This artist's family moved to Spanish Harlem, New York City, when he was 5 years old.  At the age of 9, he was playing a music hall in South Bronx focused on Latino music.  He could play various instruments, including the accordion, but he really wanted to focus on the guitar and at age 14...he started that whole process.  Who was the artist?  We'll play his most famous hit.
 
*This band was scheduled to record a song we'll play tonight on May 20, 1964, but the lead singer was found dead that morning (cause of death unclear).  They rescheduled for the next day and called in a former band member to sing the lead, who then formally rejoined the band.  Name the band.  And if you are really into it...the song.
 
 
Battle Of The Bands! Out of Sight by James Brown  vs  She’s Lookin’ Good by Wilson Pickett
 
Answers:
1.Eric Clapton  461 Ocean Boulevard  2.Long Hurts So Bad by Linda Ronstadt
3. Light My Fire by Jose Feliciano    4. Drifters Under the Boardwalk
The James Brown won the Battle by 1 vote

*This great artist toured with The Beatles, backed Bo Diddley and Howlin' Wolf, helped to inspire The Blues Brothers and performed everywhere from Saturday Night Live to Austin City Limits (both multiple times) along the way.  Name the artist.
 
*This artist owned and loved his very own Pontiac hearse and named it Mort.  That hearse was the motivation for the song of his playing in this show.  While driving from Toronto to Los Angeles, Mort broke down in 1965.
Name the artist and the song.
 
*50 years ago on July 20, 1969, astronauts walked on the Moon for the very first time...one of those, 'Where were you when that happened?' moments.  Just weeks prior to that event, a song came out telling the story of an astronaut's doomed journey into space.  Name the artist and the song.
 
*Sudden change is the topic of this song, beginning with the Wall Street worker who gets on a train to leave his life behind.  This great song has been played by this artist during his solo career and with the famous band he'd been in for many years.   Name the artist, the band and the song.
 
Battle Of The Bands! Swlabr by Cream  vs  Empty Pages by Traffic
 
Answers:
1.Delbert McClinton  2.Long May You Run by Neil Young
3. Space Oddity by David Bowie    4. Don Henley, Eagles, New York Minute
The Traffic won the Battle by 1 vote

​*This well-known artist wrote a song that won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in a movie in 2000.  The song was also used in a Chrysler commercial that aired during the 2014 Super Bowl.  So friends...name the artist, the movie and the song or just wait until it plays today on Looney's Tunes!
 
*This great California-born artist was kind of a 'surfer musician', but it almost cost him his life.  While surfing, he got hit by 2 successive mammoth waves, unable to catch his breath between them...but miraculously survived.  Name the artist.
 
*We'll catch one of the trademark songs from this well-known band that was written by the keyboardist of the group.  Significantly, he credits God for giving him the song and inspiration, claiming that he received a 'supernatural download' that allowed him to quickly finish this classic.  You'll recognize the group and the song  when we play it.
 
*This artist received a book of great phrases from his cousin just prior to his work on an excellent album.  One particular phrase stuck in his mind: 'Most things I worry about never happen anyway.'  He worked it into an excellent track that will play this evening.  We reveal the artist and the song late in the show.
 
 
Battle Of The Bands! Dedicated to the One I Love by Mamas & The Pappas  vs  Happy Together by The Turtles
 
Answers:
1.Bob Dylan, Wonderboys, Things Have Changed  2.Chris Isaak
3. Faithfully by Journey   4. Crawling Back to You by Tom Petty
The Turtles won the Battle by 2 votes

*A long-standing band that has been around for 5 decades plus, brought in an 18 year old guitarist in 1968.  He was full of ideas and concepts that helped move the band out the blues an into the rock music mainstream.  The band and that artist revealed...unless you don't already know...
*This long-term Canadian singer-songwriter was the subject of some very bizarre rumors back in 2010 when micro-bloggers posted a message of his death, when he was actually still alive...and still living today.  Who is the artist?  We'll play an excellent 'deep cut' this evening...
 
*A great UK artist, but a long-term resident of the US, had a bout with throat cancer, successful surgery, but actually lost his voice for almost 9 full months in the year, 2000.  Name the artist.
 
*This band's first concept album has a tune sequence that loosely follows the story of a dreamer trying to escape reality.  Using mixed metaphors and characters from Robin Hood to William Tell to Lancelot to the Wizard Of Oz, the band struck big time with it in the early 70's.  Who was the band and name that album.
 
Battle Of The Bands! You Really Got Me by Kinks  vs  My Back Pages by Byrds

1.Fleetwood Mac,  Danny Kirwin  2.Gordon Lightfoot
3. Rod Stewart   4. El Dorado by Electric Light Orchestra 
The Kinks won the Battle by a 2 votes

My research this week has uncovered some very entertaining facts that should make for great fun during the show.  I reviewed the Inside The Gates Radio more prominent musicians and wanted to see where some of them stacked up in terms of their rank in the pecking order of all-time best selling artists.  Reviewing the top 50 of all time...there were more than a few surprises.
Where do you think these artists and/or groups ranked in the Top 50?  (Units Sold)                     
Eagles    #4                                         Bob Seger  #31
Queen  #47                                        Led Zeppelin #5
Fleetwood Mac  #21                        Bob Dylan  #45
The Beatles  #1                                 Chicago  #38
Eric Clapton     #37                          The Rolling Stones  #13

​*This artist opened for the Rolling Stones way back in 1963.  During an interview in 2000, he spoke about how his years of substance abuse had affected his voice, one bad habit of which was smoking 40 cigarettes each day.  No falsetto for him (or us, from him)  Who was the artist?
 
*We'll play a song by this band that was had a gospel influence courtesy of the bands love of Aretha Franklin.  The lyrics reflect a man calling out to God, asking why he works so hard, but simply can't find love.  By the end of the song he decides the singer decides he will not accept defeat!  Name the artist/band and the song!
 
*Carrie Fisher's fame-charmed life inevitably brought her into rock circles.  She married a famous artist in 1983 and then quickly divorced the following Summer.  The song by her ex is what you'll hear tonight.  Any guesses on the artist and the song?
 
*This great song was written (by a very noteworthy songwriting team) for and originally recorded by this group in 1960 made it all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The song was notable for being the first song by a black, all-girl group to reach #1 in the US.  Who was the group and what was the song also recorded by the songwriter almost 11 years. later?
 
 
 
Battle Of The Bands! Don’t Get Me Wrong by The Pretenders  vs  Nights in White Satin by The Moody Blues

​1.Fever by Joe Cocker   2.Somebody to Love by Queen
3. She Moves On by Paul Simon    4. Will you Still Love Me Tomorrow by The Shirelles
Listeners picked The Moody Blues in the Battle of the Bands

*Were you an Elvis fan?  We go to this artist's song that makes reference to many of his songs in this cut...Heartbreak Hotel, Love Me Tender, Don't Be Cruel, and on and on.  The artist is not from the US, but has had incredible success here and worldwide actually.  Name the artist and the song.
 
*This group's song to be played this evening is a Southern expression meaning 'at my wit's end!'  Who was the band and what is the song...(Hint...the band started in Georgia)
 
*What was supposed to be a song about Los Angeles as a theme for the 1984 Olympics, which were held there, this artist instead wrote a 'tongue-in-cheek homage' to the car-cruising, sun-worshipping Los Angeles culture...something that LA officials didn't think was the image they wished to convey.  Who was the artist and what was the song?  You'll hear it this evening.
 
*The title for this Cream album was inspired by a roadie who often road his 10-speed bicycle.  We'll go to a cut on this great album (Name the album) that appears to be about a woman doing significant harm to what's inside of you.  (Name the song)...
  
Battle Of The Artists! Roll of the Dice by Bruce Springsteen vs  I Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty

​
1.Calling Elvis Dire Straits   2.Losing My Religion by R.E.M.
3. I Love L.A. by Randy Newman    4. Album is Disreali Gears  Song is Strange Brew
Listeners picked Tom Petty in the Battle of the Artists