At high noon on Thursday August 29th we embarked on the Back to School A to Z. Thousands of songs played in alphabetical order it certainly is a rock and roll masterclass. A mere 24 hours after that launching point we finally got to the second letter!
After crossing over “Around The Dial” with The Kinks and Ray Koob, the musical journey continues inside of Professor Pierre’s classroom. The day brought us the last of the A songs, a triumphant start to the letter B, and of course the necessary detour with The Presidents & Dave Edmunds’ “Here Comes The Weekend”. Here are just a few highlights from the day as we continue to celebrate the Back to School A to Z!
Bruce Brings Atlantic City To South Philly
Bruce amps up the crowd on a beautiful summer night in Philly.
A few weeks prior to the A to Z, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band brought two amazing concert experiences to Pierre’s Good Citizens Band Park. The setlists for each night were expansive and deep (as one would expect for a Bruce show in Philly) but shared some common songs each night. One of those being Atlantic City which was celebrated during the home stretch of A songs.
Home Economics: Baking Reel-To-Reel
A Reel to Reel tape from the MMaRchives
Part of the experience of A to Z is delving into not just the history of rock and roll, but of the history of radio itself. Whilst playing some of our legendary “Vintage IDs”, Pierre reminisced about a time where those IDs were originally played from: Reel-to-Reel tape players. In order to digitize them for the computer age, Pierre’s then producer Jason Fehon found some of these tapes within the vaults of the MMaRchives. In order to play them without destroying them, Pierre discussed actually baking these tapes in an oven order to play them to preserve them. We recommend seeking a professional if you wish to attempt such a feat.
Sun And Snow
An early 3 Doors Down performance at WMMR’s Day Off at the Slops at Jack Frost
The title track of 3 Doors Down’s second album Away From The Sun brought back some found early memories of the band. Pierre recalls one of their earliest performances being at Jack Frost in the Poconos for an MMR Day Off at the Slopes. The Mississippi based rockers certainly brought their southern charm and drawl with them, as Pierre asked lead singer Brad Arnold his name a couple of times trying to decipher what exactly his name is. The lads in 3 Doors Down also having a memorable performance as they confessed to Pierre it was their first time ever seeing snow!
The Boss, The Beatles, and Anton the Russian
‘The Beatles’ has sold 24 million units. The album, of course, is affectionately known at “The White Album.” It is the only double album The Beatles ever released. Featuring 30 songs, “The White Album” spans various sub-genres, including folk, blues, country rock and proto-metal.
One of the highlights of the A to Z for so many is the wonderful musical memories it can revive. When diving into The Beatles “Back In The U.S.S.R” Pierre is reminded of a Russian gentleman he met while in Lake Tahoe by the name of Anton. He asked Anton were he ever to come to Philadelphia to please reach out and sure enough Anton did! Pierre then brought him to see one of America’s finest musical exports: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band which just so happened to be one of Anton’s favorites. International relations were strengthened that day due to the power of rock and roll!
Pretenders on Vinyl
The Pretenders “Back On The Chain Gang” on Vinyl
Where we can and the stars align we venture to Studio R for a Vinyl Cut in the Back to School A to Z. This particular day we celebrated the musical stylings of Chrissie Hynde and company in The Pretenders and within the letter B we played “Back On The Chain Gang”. This smash for the band was only one of a handful of hits they actually preformed live when they played the Fillmore earlier in July. You can see the full review here
