By Steve Rhodes

In sum, Comcast’s “Music Choice” channels provide a nice overview of most – not all – genres in the universe of popular (and not so much) music. This hour from the Classic Country channel illustrates how much of a primer these channels can be on each respective category. Plus, the trivia is phenomenal.
I’ve added some value from Wikipedia, YouTube, etc.
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May 29, 2008
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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1. He Stopped Loving Her Today/George Jones.
Indeed one of country’s classic songs by one of its classic artists, this was released in 1980, though it sounds like it was made 20 or 30 years earlier.
“The song was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee at CBS Studio B,” according to the song’s Wikipedia entry. “The recording process was lengthy. Jones was frequently intoxicated and later said in an interview that the four spoken lines of the song had to be recorded over and over because he could not speak without slurring his words.”

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Posted on May 30, 2008

By The Beachwood Black Sabbath Affairs Desk

B-side: “Electric Funeral”
Released: October 1971
Format: 45 RPM
Length (Single): 3:33
Length (Album): 5:56
Wikipedia Excerpt: “Iron Man” is a signature song of Birmingham (United Kingdom) heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath. It was first released on their second album Paranoid (1970) and later included on their initial greatest hits compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll (1976), as well as all subsequent greatest hits compilations. Many musical acts have recorded cover versions of the song, and the song is frequently used and referenced during sporting events and in television shows and films. Trailers for the 2008 feature film Iron Man, as well as the film’s closing credits, have portions of this song.

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Posted on May 23, 2008

By Don Jacobson

Today, a truly special Chicago In Song: We take a look at the signature song of an extremely popular Illinois rock artist who recently died of a tragically preventable disease – a heartfelt ode to his beloved father that is adored by millions of this musician’s fans around the world. And we tell you why it sucks.

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Posted on May 20, 2008

By Don Jacobson

You’d think that after all this time I’d despair of finding yet more podcasts that feature the kind of late ’60s/early ’70s psychedelic rock that I love beyond all reason for Playlist. You’d think that, but you’d be wrong because, my friend, apparently anyone who’s ever felt the urge to light up and kick back with the likes of Kaleidoscope, The Creation and The Playground has become a podcast DJ and has taken to the Internet like a hippie to a microdot. There’s so much out there, man. This time, it’s a British dude named Andy who hosts Toffe Sunday Smash, and it is indeed smashing.

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Posted on May 12, 2008

By Don Jacobson

1. Just thought you’d like to know: Victoria, Texas, is getting an indie record shop. People there hope Victoria is ready for it. I don’t really know too much about Victoria . . . just what I can Google. And according to that, it’s a city of 60,000 known as the “South Texas Crossroads” and a “cultural hub” for the “Golden Crescent” part of the state down by Corpus Christi.
I’m wondering what kind of culture they have down there, though, because the article about it in The Victoria Advocate kind of makes it sound like an indie record shop is about as foreign to the good people of the Coastal Bend as an arctic yak. It’s called the Rock ‘n’ Roll Candy Store, and, “ready or not,” here it comes.

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Posted on May 5, 2008