As we approach show #100, I thought it would be fun to go through the archives and revisit some of your favorite shows...and mine too!
In the midst of the pile of records, I managed to find my top 10 favorite shows that I have done in the past two years. The top 10 is in chronological order.
#01: The First Show: May 18, 2019
A week after my Retro Radio farewell, a new chapter began. After recreating 1960s top 40 radio for 15 years, I realized doing a new show was going to be a challenge. No longer would I be giving the time and temperature, so I needed to practice. I recorded about 6 pilot show (demos) before doing the first show. This is how it all started!
On this show, I played the first recordings of some of your favorite songs. Did you know that "Good Lovin" was first recorded by a Canton, Ohio native...and the song had different lyrics? It was fun playing these records because it's interesting to hear how different the original is verses the hit version. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
This is the show when I turned the tables on you and did something that perhaps has never been done by any radio disc jockey before. Instead of having listeners call in with a request, I called the listeners! This was about two weeks after the pandemic started, so I wanted to check in with some of you to see how you were doing and what song I could play for you. When's the last time a radio DJ called you up for a request? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
This show goes down as my all-time favorite. It was a good ole Animal House type party with all the good frat rock records! This show featured "live" performances on the basement show stage from The Alarm Clocks, The Premieres, and The Shadows of Knight. I was worried someone would call the cops on us! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
All the good records from the early 1970s were played on this Super 70s Weekend. It sounded a bit more like Retro Radio than the basement show, but it received an overwhelmingly positive response. To date, I have received the most phone calls and e-mails from this show. With the tremendous response, a part two aired on June 27, 2020. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Grady from Rocky River, a regular visitor down in the basement, suggested that I do a "Beach Boys vs. Jan & Dean Death Match!" Don't worry friends, no one was hurt during the taping of the show! Someone brought in a dump truck full of sand from the Florida gulf shore, Honolulu Lulu showed up with a roasted pig, and I provided all the cold beverages...and all the good Beach Boys and Jan & Dean records! Next time you're cruisin' in your car on a beautiful sunny day - be sure you play this one! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
I did a special series of shows in late July as I played the records I would have played if I were on an FM underground station in 1967. I did shows for 1966 and 1968. The timing was perfect as it aligned with the years Ray King featured on Retro Radio. Ray King featured a WIXY-SIXTY Survey from August 01, 1967, and I played the records they weren't playing! This show was inspired by a June 1967 broadcast of Dave Diamond's final "Diamond Mine" show. The final show is perhaps the greatest three hours of radio in 1967! Here's my attempt at it!
Ray King loves to play one-hit wonders on Retro Radio. It made me wonder if these bands ever had a follow-up? Did The Music Explosion have more that just one record? How about The Reflections? The Shocking Blue? ? & The Mysterians? I also featured the forgotten follow-ups from groups that had multiple hits like The Bob Seger System, The Young Rascals, The Ohio Express, The Soul Survivors and more. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Have you ever wondered if a band's first hit was also their first single? In some cases that true, but not always. Stevie Wonder's first single barely cracked the top 100. The Blues Magoos previously recorded as The Bloos Magoos. The first single for the Ides of March was released four years before their big hit "Vehicle." The Rolling Stones debut single wasn't released in the United States! This show received a lot of positive feed back, and has become one of the most listened to archived show at basementradioshow.com! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Also one of the most listened to archived show at basementradioshow.com, I featured all Cleveland bands from the 1960s. Some had national hits like The Choir, The Outsiders, and The Secrets, but there are local legends as well like The Tree Stumps, Cyrus Erie, The Lost Souls, and Dick Whittington's Cats. This is the one hour version that aired on WJCU as the show was temporarily reduced by one hour as a result of the unusual sports season at John Carroll University. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Show #--- - A Rainy Afternoon - Never Aired
This was a show I recorded in the spring of 2019 when we opened up the windows in the basement to hear the sound of the rain and songs all about it. It was a rainy spring in Cleveland that year, and I had intended to air the show on a day when it was guaranteed to rain. Then the sun came out for the next three months! Until now, only listeners who like Jumpin' Joe's Basement Show on Facebook have heard the show. Now you can here it HERE.
Show #037 - January 25, 2020
I have a note for this show that says "my pick." Out of the first 37 shows, this must of been the best one yet. I haven't heard this show in a while, but you can now. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Show #092 - Historic Finish to Radiothon '21 - February 21, 2020
Records were destroyed for the finale of WJCU Radiothon during Jumpin' Joe's Basement Show. With Retro Radio, our combined goal of $5,500 and our record of $6,347 were blown away. How high were the totals gonna go? We reached $7,000 then $7,500 then $8,500 and finally topping out at $9,000! All the proceeds go to WJCU Radio - a non-commercial radio station based on the campus of John Carroll University. Listen as history is made! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Comments