by Kevin Burton I missed it, completely. It was totally over my head. I guess it’s just somebody’s else’s fight. “We Built This City” by Starship was number one on the US Hot 100 40 years ago this month. It’s catchy. I liked it then, still do. I loved the era when …
Tag Archives: radio
My Ohio Roots And “Hang On Sloopy”
by Kevin Burton The shirt I had just bought said “Sweet Home Kansas’ or “Down Home in Kansas,” something like that, and it was supposed to make a statement. With decidedly mixed emotions I had just taken a job in Kansas and left my homeland, Ohio, behind. The shirt was one way of …
OK Then, Let’s Get This Word Party Started!
by Kevin Burton I believe it was the great Marty Brennaman, on the Cincinnati Reds radio network, who used to call the first game of a three-game series the “lid-lifter.” Let’s tack that one on, at the very beginning mind you, like the first pitch in the top of the first inning, to …
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NFL/NBC Greed Leaves A Bad Taste
by Kevin Burton The NFL has just invited me, and you, to not watch football on TV. You want to be careful doing a thing like that. It would appear that I can live without it. This is a working hypothesis. Forgive me for not having it all thought out and laid …
“Here Comes Foster!” There Goes Al Michaels
by Kevin Burton I love me some Al Michaels. Our sportscaster-sports consumer relationship goes back more than 50 years. How much do I love Al Michaels? Well, I watched the entire unwatchable Raiders-Chargers game Thursday because he was calling it. I didn’t even have any fantasy players involved. And I’ve been watching …
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Tell A Stranger About Philadelphia Freedom
by Kevin Burton Trying to wrestle down he lighter-than-air 70s anthem “Philadelphia Freedom” by Elton John is like trying to tell a stranger ‘bout rock and roll. You kind of can’t. You can parse the words if you like, look into its origins, the elements that went into it. But in the end …
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The DJs Made Old-Time Radio Come Alive
by Kevin Burton Music fans who go back as far as the 80s and especially before, badly miss the old days of radio. You had music historians, actual musicians and others who loved music, choosing what records hit the airwaves. It was a wacky, fun time for listeners across musical genres. It was …
“If You Could Read My Mind” Is A Masterpiece
by Kevin Burton The greatest songwriters will leave room in their songs so you can climb in, look around and make yourself at home. Just be careful, there is going to be a mirror in there in the place you least expect. You’re going to see yourself. You’re going to be confronted. If …
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We Watched Our Culture On Our Radios
by Kevin Burton The love we all had for radio and the vibrant world it brought to us, made it well worth risking the wrath of parents. All of us have stories of hiding that transistor radio under our pillows, trying to be quiet so our parents wouldn’t know we were still awake. …
Raised On Radio: Rush Makes A Statement
by Kevin Burton The Band Rush made a musical comment on the state of radio in 1980’s “The Spirit of Radio.” It took me more than 40 years to get wind of it. Though they made reference to the lyrics of two of my heroes, Simon and Garfunkel, in the song, they didn’t …
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