One of the things that came about with the rise of FM alternative album rock radio in the late 60’s was the search for perfect segues between songs. Finding that just-right combination — sometimes a tight cut, other times a fade-out going to a fade-in — was a thing of joy to a disk jockey.
Today, with streaming services like Music Choice on cable TV and TheRadio.com on the Web, if a transition between songs strikes my fancy I have no idea if it was done intentionally by a person, or by accident by a computer. The use of narrowly focused genres is, for me, really limiting. I wish every service offered a totally wide open, free-form channel. In the 60’s you’d hear Donovan followed by Frank Sinatra. Steppenwolf and Dionne Warwick, back to back. The thing that drove the all-time greatest morning man in radio, WABC’s Herb Oscar Anderson, crazy was the very thing I loved — variety, from hard to soft.
Tonight on the drive home I heard Wall of Voodoo’s “Mexico Radio” (which has always sounded to me like it was inspired by Adam Ant), and the old DJ brainwaves got going, and in my head I heard the perfect follow-up track. So I’ve put them together on the audio player.
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2009/FEB/WallofK3.mp3]
Molly said “YAY!” and sang it all the way through. K3, I mean. I forgot all about that catchy “Mexican Radio.” Even Molly admits that the 80s turned out some pretty good music!
That’s IT! It’s now become “The DogRat National Anthem!”
But of course! “Mexican Radio” and “The DogRat National Anthem”! Though I suspect Doug could get any song to segue perfectly into “Kusjesdag”. I almost feel nostalgic hearing this again!