*We'll go back to a fantastic 1994 solo album by this artist for a track with a general musical feel and mood that is a striking reflection of Buffalo Springfield's work, most notably Stephen Stills "Go And Say Goodbye".  Sure the melody is different but the chord progression and overall vibe is strikingly similar and beautiful.  The song is aptly named considering the lyrics...it's not just about a relationship but of life's road and challenges.
This artist is no longer with us (since 2017)...but you certainly know him.  Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the album and the song...
 
*A track written and released by this band's lead guitarist in 1976 is rumored to be about suicide, but it actually deals with the inevitability of death and the belief that we should not be afraid of it.  The artist was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat causing him to think about his morality, but is still with us today at the ripe young age of 75.  Name the band, the lead guitarist and the name of the song...
 
*This band's #1 hit from 1967 was written by a friend of the band from Chicago (the city, not the band).  Although the band did have 5 charting hits (they all uniquely happened in the same year 1967) the track we'll enjoy turned out to be their only #1.  But with all those charting hits that year, Billboard Magazine declared them 'the most listened to band of the year'!  Shortly thereafter, they fell off the musical map.  Name the band and extra credit for the name of the #1 hit...
 
*For a musician known to strive for authenticity, this artist has always been curiously obsessed with appearances, seemingly as interested in sartorial details and hairstyles every bit as much as perfect guitar licks.  It' difficult to find two photographs of him from the 1960s and early '70s that appear to be the same person.  His solo career saw him switching his looks frequently.  A 2001 solo album featured a picture of him as a child.  Name the artist...
 
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen vs Peace Of Mind by Boston
 
ANSWERS
1. Tom Petty, Wildflowers, Time to Move On
2. Blue Oyster Cult, Donald Roeser, (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
3. Buckinghams, Kind of a Drag
4. Eric Clapton
Battle of the Bands : Boston won with 52% of votes

Jeff Weigl Beats Working Friday @ 4pm

Shock The Monkey  by    Peter Gabriel
 This track is sometimes mistaken for shock therapy, or an animal rights song, but it is neither.  Peter Gabriel said it’s a love song that examines how jealousy can release one’ basic instincts. 
Bits and Pieces      by The Dave Clark Five
When the band was touring to promote the album, some theatre owners would not let them play the song because they were worried fans would jump up and down in time to the beat and damage the venue. 
Riders on The Storm        by The Doors
This was the last song Jim Morrison recorded. The song evolved from a jam session when the band was messing around with “Ghost Riders in the Sky” and Jim Morrison had the idea to alter the title to Riders on the Storm.   
Getting Better by The Beatles
The music was mainly written by Paul McCartney, but the lyrics were co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. 
Although it’s overall an optimistic song, there are parts that are quite dark; those came from John. He admitted that when he was younger, he was a hitter. He said he couldn’t express himself and would fight men and hit women.  He further said that is why he came to regret his violence and become such an advocate for peace. 
My Favorite Mistake by    Sheryl Crow 
There have been many rumors about who that song is about, but Sheryl Crow said it is not about one person in particular, but a composite of guys she went out who weren’t good for her. She was linked with many stars, including Kid Rock, Lance Armstrong, Jakob Dylan, Owen Wilson and Eric Clapton.  
Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over) by The Four Tops
That song is about being lost in love. In the song, The Four Tops lead vocalist Levi Stubbs sings about hearing his neighbors' voices coming through his thin apartment walls. The neighbors are talking about how his woman doesn't love him anymore; he is knocked out by the news and asks to be woken up when the nightmare is over.
Happy Jack by The Who
That song is the first top 40 hit by The Who. The song features Roger Daltrey sharing lead vocals with John Entwistle and Pete Townshend. At the end of the song, you can hear Pete Townshend shouting “I Saw You” as he had noticed Keith Moon trying to join in. The band had banished him from the studio while they recorded their vocals as Keith Moon had a habit of making the other members laugh.  

*The history of this track goes all the way back to the artist, Screamin' Jay Hawkins in 1957.  He wrote the ballad lamenting the loss of a girlfriend he wanted back.  It was originally a much slower song, thus the ballad status.  Ther version we'll play comes from a great band in 1968 who covered it on their eponymous album and then performed it at Woodstock in 1969.  Name the band that covered it and extra credit for the name of the song....
*A song we'll enjoy is about an unconditional love where you are determined to stick it out through good times and bad.  It's a very popular wedding song.  The singer/artist wrote the lyrics, but the music was written by Al Jackson, Jr. (a legendary soul drummer)  and Willie Mitchell (the artist's producer).  Justin Timberlake idolized the artist and actually sang the song with him at the 2009 Grammy Awards.  Name the artist and the song...
 
*At the close of the 70's, this group began inching toward a sleek, modern sound, partially inspired by the thriving punk and new wave scene and partially inspired by one of the member's solo debut album.  Two consecutive albums by the group in '79 and '80 found them sketching out their pop/soul/new wave fusion sound that propelled them to greatness.  While the band formed in the early 70's and had released 7 albums before 1979, they gained new legendary status after these 2 albums.  Name the group.
 
*People and things mentioned in this song...Mott The Hoople, Life, Monopoly, Twister, Risk, checkers, chess, twenty-one, Elvis Presley, Moses, Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.  The song came out in 1992.  Name the song and the group that performed it...
 
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Let’s Stay Together by Al Green vs Chain Of Fools by Aretha Franklin
 
ANSWERS
1. Credence Clearwater Revival, I Put A Spell On You
2. Al Green, Let’s Stay Together
3. Hall & Oates
4. Man on the Moon, R. E. M.
Battle of the Bands : Aretha Franklin ran away to an easy win with 57% of votes

*This American band's first album came out in 1972 and the track we'll enjoy was also the band's very first single.  It turned into a huge hit in both the U.S. and U.K. and earned the group some great press coverage.  The band's sound was very unusual to anything else released around the time and when asked to describe it, they called it 'smart rock'.  The song didn't seem to make literal sense, but was known for creating an undeniable groove, a mood, a vibe.  Name the band...
 
*This artist's album that preceded his 1977 album that we'll dip into acknowledged a certain creative desperation that probably narrowed his commercial appeal.  So on the next album, he wrote and recorded more of a concept album about being on the road, an effort that actually did raise the appeal factor.  Some of the songs were actually recorded on the road stages and some even recorded on the bus or in the hotel.  Born to a father in the service in Heidelberg, Germany, the family then moved to California, the state this artist claims as home.  Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the album...
 
*We all remember the movie, Good Morning Vietnam, based on the life of Adrian Cronauer.  The most requested song on Armed Forces Radio when he was in Vietnam came from this band which was released in 1965,
Name the song and the British band that recorded it.
 
*Abandoning overt progressive sound...thereby leaving behind the operas and extended instrumental section, but not the organ solos, this band became a mainstream rock band with the release of their 4th album in 1977.  Despite his efforts to democratize the group, (he invited all of the bandmembers to write and sing throughout the album), this band still feels very much like the frontman's baby...primarily because the songs that really truly work on the album are the ones that he wrote and sang.  Name the American band that was formed in 1973 and extra credit for the name of the founder...
 
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
September by Earth, Wind & Fire  vs Work To Do by Average White Band
 
ANSWERS
1. Steely Dan
2. Jackson Browne
3. We Gotta Get Out of This Place, The Animals
4. Utopia, Todd Rungren
Earth, Wind & Fire won the battle with 54% of the votes

* This fantastic artist released his debut album in 1973.  His 2nd album truly expanded the folk-rock approach to strains of jazz, among other styles just 8 months later...that same year.  With his chief musical lieutenant and keyboard player they created a street-life mosaic of suburban society that owed much in its outlook to Van Morrison's romanticization of Belfast in his album, Astral Weeks.  In the final analysis, it is largely considered to be one of the all-time great rock and roll albums..  Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the album...
 
*A quintessential and prolific Americana singer/songwriter throughout his career, he told romantic stories of an already vanished and still disappearing America, its people, landscapes and history.  He was a key member of a 3 person group from 1961-1967 and when they broke up...his solo career ensued.  Name the artist and extra credit for the name of his earlier group....
 
*We'll play a song from 1992 that references an object in the title that is quite and notably important to this artist.  Whether or not it was purposeful (methinks it probably was), but this object shows up in no less than 28 of the artist's songs.  This multi-talented musician played all of the following on the track we'll enjoy...guitar, banjo, piano, pump organ, vibes and of course handled the vocals.  Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the song...
 
*This British band toured America in 1971 and actually wrote and recorded this song (a big hit for them) during that tour.  They were not well known in the U.S. at the time and the band's leader wanted to change that by coming up with something that would strike to the heart of America.  The song is all about sex, but with imagery so comically vague it would be hard for even the most prudish listeners to take offense.  As it turns out, the biggest suggestion of the intended theme is in the title.  Name the band and extra credit for the song title..
 
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Fields Of Gold by Sting  vs Harvest Moon by Neil Young
 
ANSWERS
1. Bruce Springsteen, The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle
2. John Stewart, Kingston Trio
3.Neil Young, Harvest Moon
4. T. Rex, Bang A Gong (Get It On)
Sting won the battle by two votes

Jeff Weigl Beats Working Friday @ 4pm

This Little Girl by Gary U.S. Bonds
 The next song was born of a collaboration between Gary U.S. Bonds and Bruce Springsteen after the two spent a few hours commiserating about their stalled careers.
Springsteen wrote this song for Bonds and a thank you, Bonds gave Bruce a ’63 Chevy Impala. 
 
Wild Thing by The Troggs
That was written by a songwriter named Chip Taylor and he has made a lot of money from the royalties from different artists, TV shows and movies all using the song. 
Unfortunately, he has gambled most of it away as he has been kicked out of every casino in Las Vegas for card counting. 

What's Love Got to Do with It           Tina Turner 
The song is more about physical attraction without any emotional attachment. Originally Tina Turner hated the song and balked at recording it. She deferred to her manager who was engineering a comeback for her.  At his bidding, she got into character and sold the song. 
At the 1985 Grammys, it won for Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Female Vocal Performance.
​ 
Question      The Moody Blues
 The Moody Blues guitarist Justin Hayward wrote the song to reflect the thoughts of many young people who were questioning the war in Vietnam.
He said "We'd achieved great success in the United States, and we were mixing with these people and seeing how different the problems were for them. I was just expressing my frustration around that, around the problems of anti-war and things that really concerned them, and for their own future. How that would morally be a dilemma for them and that kind of stuff. After a decade of peace and love, it still seemed we hadn't made a difference in 1970. That was the theme of the song.
And then the slow part of the song is really a reflection of that and not feeling defeated, but almost a quiet reflection of it, and mixing with a bit of a love song, as well."

*We'll play a track early that mentions the term, 'Heavy Metal' which would go on to become a renowned genre, although the song itself is not really that at all.  The song spent 3 weeks at #2 on the charts behind The Rascals' People Got To Be Free in 1968.  It was the 3rd single released from the band's 1st album.  The first 2 flopped, but this song elevated the band to stardom.  Name the band and the song...
 
*This band released a 1974 album that came on the heels of their two previous albums that were both chart toppers.  It may be why this album was a hit the day it was announced (it was certified platinum based on pre-orders alone) and was the last album by the band to achieve that status.  This British band's song from that album is a beautiful, largely acoustic number that was popular in concert and rock stations everywhere.  Name the band, somewhat famous for hard, concept albums and extra credit for the name of the song that got significant airplay...
 
*This superstar artist's change of directions in the early 70's was notable on successive albums, trading cinematic aspirations of the earlier for a tentative stab at progressive rock on the next one.  The later album was driven by sweeping string arrangements, giving many of the tracks a richly dark and haunting edge.  On the track we'll play, a mandolin takes center stage conjures up shades of Rod Stewart and Maggie May.  Name the aritst and extra credit for the name of the track...
 
*This band's frontman wrote this song, both the lyrics and the music that was released in 1977.  The song indicated him feeling unstoppable as he's 'floating around in ecstasy and 'like a tiger defying the laws of gravity',
It is clear that his character is throwing caution to the wind and putting himself in danger.  Name the band, the frontman and extra credit for the name of the song...
 
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Time For Me To Fly by REO Speedwagon  vs No Matter What by Badfinger
 ​
ANSWERS
1. Born To Be Wild, Steppenwolf
2. Supertramp,  Dreamer
3. Elton John, Holiday Inn
4. Queen, Freddie Mercury, Don’t Stop Me Now
Badfinger won the battle by two votes

*The Everly Brothers had some talented musicians in their backing band throughout.  One such member recommended and brought in legendary studio guitarist Waddy Wachtel to play.  Phil Everly asked the two of them to write a song based on a 1935 horror movie he'd just seen.  They wrote it in 1975, but it didn't become a huge hit until it was released in 1978 on an album by one of the writers of the track.  Name the song and the artist that wrote it and made it a huge hit...
 
*This great band's 18th album in 1994 sounded both familiar (but fresh) to some of their earlier work, despite the fact that the trio they were was now a duo.  It sounded like some of their old music but the freshness came courtesy of string arrangements by Chip Davis of Mannheim Steamroller and vocal assistance by the late Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys.  Name the band and extra credit for the name of the album...
 
*The search for peace and happiness is often a theme in any number of songs.  Considering that this song had such themes in 1970 suggests that those themes just may be appropriate at any time.  The artist, Jimmy Cliff was the 1st to record this track, getting up to #8 in the UK charts before this British artist released his version, one that would become his 1st hit in America.  Name the song and the artist that made it famous...
 
* With his multi-instrumentalist chops, inimitably raspy vocals, and a decade-plus of top session and production work behind him, this artist had, by the mid-1970's, established himself as one of the leading purveyors of root-rock, Americana music.  His 1975 album would certainly enhance that legacy.  Name the artist who was born in Lawton, Oklahoma in 1942 and enjoyed a 60-year career...
 
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Come Monday by Jimmy Buffett  vs Wild World by Cat Stevens
 
ANSWERS
1. Werewolves of London, Warren Zevon
2. America, Hourglass
3. Wild World, Cat Stevens
4. Leon Russell
Cat Stevens won the battle by a single vote

*We'll play a track from this artist's 2nd album, that just as well could have been considered the 8th album for his former band.  By going solo, the move finally allowed him to indulge his love for various musical genres.
We'll play a track from an album in 2000.  Name the artist and extra credit for the former band...
 
*This 1971 song (originally created to be about a character in a film that never was completed) is written from the perspective of a man who is hated and shunned.  He's asking for empathy, but is clearly unhinged and seems to have anger issues.  The lyrics are based on the writer's own feeling of angst about the high expectations placed on him and the pressure to be someone he's not.  Name the artist, the band he is part of and extra credit for the name of the song...
 
*Musically, this incredibly successful combo had effectively abandoned their extended free-form jazz leanings for more succinct pop songs.  This is not to say they couldn't rock, because they absolutely could.  That turning point basically took place during the decade of the 70's.  Name the group.
 
*Modern blues in the 90's had a pretty weird phenomenon of young guitarists rocketing to popularity with their first album.  One such artist attended a show by the Bad Medicine Blues Band at the ripe young age of 12 and he ended up playing with them, becoming their leader within several months.  Name the artist...
 
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins  vs Steam by Peter Gabriel
 
ANSWERS
1. Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits
2. Pete Townshend, The Who, Behind Blue Eyes
3. Chicago
4. Jonny Lang
Listeners gave Phil Collins the victory with 55% of the votes

​Nobody Told Me by John Lennon
This song was written by John Lennon in 1976 with the title “Everybody’s Talkin’, Nobody’s Talkin’.” 
He recorded the song at the sessions for his 1980 album Double Fantasy, but decided not to include it on the set, giving it to his Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr instead.  Ringo was going to record the song for his 1981 album Stop and Smell the Roses, but when Lennon was killed, he didn't feel comfortable recording it. 
Lennon's recording finally surfaced in 1984 when it was released as a single and included on Milk and Honey, an album comprised of songs recorded during the Double Fantasy sessions that didn't make the cut. It was a big posthumous hit, reaching the Top 10 in both the US and UK. 
Behind the Mask by Eric Clapton
That song was done by Japanese synth-pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra and was initially an instrumental used by Seiko as a commercial. 
In the early 1980s, producer Quincy Jones brought the song to the attention of Michael Jackson, who rewrote the lyrics and added an accompanying melody. The Jackson version was planned for inclusion on his 1982 album Thriller but was dropped following legal disputes.
Afterwards, Eric Clapton recorded it based on Jackson's updated version on his 1986 August album. 
She Said She Said by The Beatles
 Our next track was the final track recorded for the Revolver album.  During The Beatles’ US tour in the summer of 1965, they rented a house in Los Angeles’ and played host to Roger McGuinn and David Crosby of The Byrds, and the two parties, apart from Paul McCartney, spent the day tripping on LSD.  The actor Peter Fonda arrived at the house, also on acid. He attempted to comfort George Harrison, who thought he was dying.  Peter Fonda said “I told him there was nothing to be afraid of and that all he needed to do was relax.
I said that I knew what it was like to be dead because when I was 10 years old I’d accidentally shot myself in the stomach and my heart stopped beating three times while I was on the operating table because I’d lost so much blood. 
John was passing at the time and heard me saying ‘I know what it’s like to be dead’. He looked at me and said, ‘You’re making me feel like I’ve never been born. Who put all that shit in your head?’ 
California Sun by The Rivieras
So, were The Rivieras from Orange County, California, during this heyday of the surf rock revolution? Nope, they were from South Bend, Indiana, specifically alumni of South Bend Central High School.
And they were literally a teenage garage band, in which the lead singer Marty "Bo" Fortson left shortly after this single came out to join the Marines and go off to Vietnam. The other band members dropped out of the band one by one under pressure from their parents to go on to college and stop this rock 'n' roll nonsense at once.