Spin City Playlist For 5/26/07

4 pm hour

Roll With It- Steve Winwood
Sweet Love- The Commodores
Sugar Pie Guy- The Joneses
Borderline- Madonna
Rise Above- Black Flag
MPE- Public Enemy
Driver's Seat- Sniff & the Tears

Now & Then featured artist: Carly Simon
Blackbird (from her 2007 CD "Into White")
Jesse

Survival- The O'jays
Let's Get Serious- Jermaine Jackson
Disco Nights- GQ
Sanctify Yourself- Simple Minds
Hello Hello (I'm Back Again)- Gary Glitter

5 pm hour

Best of My Love- The Emotions
Original Sin- INXS
Make A Circuit With Me- The Polecats
Groove Me- King Floyd
Devil Gate Drive- Suzi Quatro
You Can Still Rock In America- Night Ranger
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man- Prince
I Gotcha- Joe Tex

The Guilty Pleasure of the Week:
Rhinestone Cowboy- Glen Campbell

Could It Be Magic- Donna Summer
Swoop- The Dazz Band
Life In A Northern Town- The Dream Academy
Too Much Information- The Police
Some Guys Have All the Luck- Rod Stewart
Hearsay- The Soul Children

6 pm hour

Lady Marmalade- Labelle
Sweat (Til You Get Wet)- Brick
Any Way You Want It- Whodini
Dancing In the Moonlight- King Harvest
I Wanna Hear It From Your Lips- Eric Carmen
Just Can't Get Enough- Depeche Mode
Going Up In Smoke- Eddie Kendricks
Jungle Boogie- Kool & the Gang
New York Groove- Ace Frehley
There's the Girl- Heart
Good Thing- Fine Young Cannibals
Shakin'- Eddie Money
Groove Line- Heatwave
Boy Oh Boy- Racey
Back On the Chain Gang- The Pretenders

Is Greed Still Good?

I recently read that there are plans for Michael Douglas to revive Gordon Gekko, his Oscar-winning character from the 1987 film Wall Street. Tentatively titled "Money Never Sleeps", the sequel will be without the services of the original film's director (Oliver Stone) and Charlie Sheen (Gekko's protege Bud Fox in the first movie).

Early this morning, I caught "Wall Street" on the Fox Movie Channel. It had been years since I had seen it, so I forgot that Terence "Kneel Before Zod" Stamp, Catwoman wannabe Sean Young, and John C. McGinley (Perry Cox on the vastly underrated Scrubs) had supporting roles. Come to think of it, John C. was practically an Oliver Stone regular, because he also appeared in "Platoon", "Talk Radio", and "Any Given Sunday". I don't know if the public is exactly clamoring for a sequel, but it might be interesting to see what became of Gordo... because the ending of Wall Street did leave things open in regards to his fate.

Spin City Playlist For 5/19/07

4 pm hour

Thank You Faletinme Be Mice Elf Agin- Sly & the Family Stone
Private Idaho- B 52s
When Love Breaks Down- Prefab Sprout
P.Y.T.- Michael Jackson
The Best Disco In Town- The Ritchie Family
You Are My Starship- Norman Connors
Another Lover- Giant Steps

Common Thread segment: 62nd birthday tribute to Pete Townshend
Let My Love Open the Door- Pete Townshend
5:15- The Who
Rough Boys- Pete Townshend
Squeeze Box- The Who

Encore- Cheryl Lynn
That's the Way I Like It- K.C. & the Sunshine Band
It's A Miracle- Culture Club
Shackles- R.J.'s Latest Arrival

5 pm hour

Shining Star- Earth, Wind, & Fire
That's the Way of the World- Earth, Wind, & Fire
Behind the Groove- Teena Marie
Steppin' Out- Steel Pulse
Take It Away- Paul McCartney
Rock the Boat- Hues Corporation

Now & Then featured artist: Colin Hay
Lose To Win (from his 2007 CD Are You Lookin' At Me?)
Who Can It Be Now?- Men At Work

Bad Love- Eric Clapton
Dance Wit' Me- Rufus feat. Chaka Khan
I'll Be Around- Spinners
Your Imagination- Hall & Oates
Ooh Baby- West Street Mob

6 pm hour

Turn To Stone- ELO
Where Is the Love- Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
Freddie's Dead- Curtis Mayfield
I Love Rock & Roll- The Arrows
Sucker MCs- Run DMC
Ffun- Con Funk Shun

The Guilty Pleasure of the Week:
Make A Move On Me- Olivia Newton- John

The More You Live, the More You Love- A Flock of Seagulls
Don't Answer Me- Alan Parsons Project
Living For the City- Stevie Wonder
Happy People- Temptations
Nights On Broadway- Bee Gees
Call Me Up- Rick James
I'll Set You Free- Bangles

Spin City Playlist For 5/12/07

4 pm hour

Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk)- Parliament
Hot Number- Foxy
Kiss & Tell- Bryan Ferry
The Way It Is- Bruce Hornsby & the Range
The Hustle- Van McCoy
Rappin' Rodney- Rodney Dangerfield

Common Thread: soundtrack songs written by Curtis Mayfield
Let's Do It Again- Staple Singers (from the soundtrack of the same name)
Look Into Your Heart- Aretha Franklin (from the Sparkle soundtrack)
On & On- Gladys Knight & the Pips (from the soundtrack to Claudine)

Now I'm Here- Queen
I Missed Again- Phil Collins
What It Comes Down To- Isley Bros.

5 pm hour

Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car- Billy Ocean
Invisible- Alison Moyet
Tell the World How I Feel About 'cha Baby- Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
Have You Ever Seen the Rain- CCR
Free- Chicago
Buffalo Stance- Neneh Cherry
Keep On Dancing- Gary's Gang

On the Flip Side:
(Gimme Some) Good Soul Music- The Dramatics (B-side to In the Rain)

Play At Your Own Risk- Planet Patrol
She Bop- Cyndi Lauper
Talk It Over- Grayson Hugh
No Way Back- The Dells
Why Can't We Be Friends?- War
Tell Me- Fabulous Thunderbirds

6 pm hour

Hit Me With Your Best Shot- Pat Benatar
Too Much Posse- Public Enemy
Pass the Peas- Fred Wesley & the JBs
Don't Stop- Fleetwood Mac
Who'd She Coo- Ohio Players
Hurts So Good- Millie Jackson
What Have I Done To Deserve This?- Pet Shop Boys feat. Dusty Springfield
I'm Going Down- Bruce Springsteen
Don't Be Cruel- Bobby Brown
Dance the Kung Fu- Carl Douglas
The Boys Are Back In Town- Thin Lizzy
Who's That Girl?- Eurythmics
Just Be Yourself- Cameo
Lido Shuffle- Boz Scaggs
Angela (Theme from Taxi)- Bob James

Recap of The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Trivia Show

As some of you may know, I didn't do Spin City on May 5th because I was in Bay City taking part in the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Trivia Show. Although it wasn't easy, the team that I play on (The Groove Masters) made it 5 victories in a row (one of my teammates referred to us as the New York Yankees of music trivia). I will say that two key differences are that:

1. We don't have an overbearing owner throwing insane amounts of cash at players past their prime.
2. We didn't get exposed in the 2006 playoffs by a team that has a man with a fondness for Marlboro Reds as its skipper.

For various reasons, some members who played on our team in previous years were unable to compete this time. However, we gained some new members who were able to chip in and help lead us to victory.

Gary (Dr. J) Johnson and Wayne (Priz) Przybylski do an excellent job of putting together the contest. The contest is made up of song segments, performance video, still pictures, lyric handouts, etc. This most recent contest also featured portions of rounds devoted to Wilson Pickett, The Dave Clark Five, and Marty Robbins. In the past, the questions covered the 1950s through the 1980s. However, this last time there was a dramatic drop in questions related to the 1970s and 1980s. Since a majority of the players grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, I think the change in focus is a good move. Some of the sample questions in the most recent contest were:

1. What two non-Beatle rock stars appear on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?
2. What was Bo Diddley's 1st single to hit the Billboard pop chart?
3. What group originally recorded "Black Magic Woman"?
4. Who wrote the song "Do Wah Diddy"?
5. In terms of Billboard chart performance, what were the top 10 most succuessful albums of the 1970s?

For information on the trivia contest and Michigan Rock and Roll, please check out the following link:

http://www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com/Default.aspx

Spin City Playlist For 4/29/07

1 pm hour

Give It To Me Baby- Rick James
Empty Pages- Traffic
Rock & Roll Soul- Grand Funk Railroad
Master Blaster (Jammin')- Stevie Wonder
This Is the Right Time- Lisa Stansfield
Make That Move- Shalamar
Strawberry Letter 23- Brothers Johnson

On the Flip Side segment:
17 Days- Prince (B-side to When Doves Cry)

Let's Go To Bed- The Cure
Get Up & Boogie- Silver Convention
Hold On- Ian Gomm
I Ain't No Joke- Eric B. & Rakim
Breakout- Swing Out Sister
Sunshine- The O'jays

2 pm hour

Rock & Roll Never Forgets- Bob Seger
I Do'wanna Know- REO Speedwagon
Dynamite- Jermaine Jackson
Pillow Talk- Sylvia
I'm A Greedy Man- James Brown
Johnny Hit & Run Paulene- X
Overkill- Men At Work
Stoned Love- The Supremes

Now & Then featured artist: John Mellencamp
Someday (from his latest CD "Freedom's Road")
R.O.C.K. In the U.S.A.

Endicott- Kid Creole & the Coconuts
Tired of Being Alone- Al Green
Funny Vibe- Living Colour
Destination Unknown- Missing Persons
I Just Want To Celebrate- Rare Earth

Spin City Playlist For 4/21/07

4pm hour

Freeway of Love- Aretha Franklin
Go To Hell- Alice Cooper
Hot Girls In Love- Loverboy
I Choose You- Willie Hutch
I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up & Dance (Oops, Upside Your Head)- Gap Band
Bad Boy/Havin' A Party- Luther Vandross

On the Flip Side:
Kid Dynamo- The Buggles (B-side to Video Killed the Radio Star)

Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)- The Flirts
You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)- Sylvester
Float On- The Floaters
This Is the Day- The The
The Stand- The Alarm
Back & Forth- Cameo

5 pm hour

Tell It To My Heart- Taylor Dayne
Heavy Love- David Ruffin
Wildflower- New Birth
Dreams- Van Halen
Life During Wartime- Talking Heads
I'm On Fire- 5000 Volts

Common Thread segment- groups that include twins as members:
Rock Steady- The Whispers
A.D. 1928/Rockin' the Paradise- Styx
One- Bee Gees

Right On the Tip of My Tongue- Brenda & the Tabulations
Help Yourself- Undisputed Truth
Hyperactive- Robert Palmer

6 pm hour

Moving Out (Anthony's Song)- Billy Joel
One of the Living- Tina Turner
On the Radio- Donna Summer
She's A Beauty- The Tubes
Breakfast In America- Supertramp
Only So Much Oil In the Ground- Tower of Power
One Night In Bangkok- Murray Head
Little Red Book- Toni Basil
Funky Cold Medina- Tone Loc (from the album "Loc-ed After Dark", which was #1 on Billboard this week in 1989)
Telephone Bill- Johnny "Guitar" Watson
Back On My Feet Again- The Babys
Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)- The Delfonics
Dark Lady- Cher
What Do All the People Know- The Monroes

Calvin Lockhart, R.I.P.

While reading the "Monitor" section in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, I was saddened to read about the death of actor/director Calvin Lockhart. Although he had many successes in the theater, he is probably best known for his roles in the 1st two films from the Sidney Poitier/Bill Cosby trilogy of the 1970s. As many of you may know, he played "Silky Slim" in the 1st film Uptown Saturday Night and appeared as "Biggie Smalls" in the follow-up, Let's Do It Again. I remember hearing a rumor that he was "cracked out" in Cali back in the 80s or 90s. However, by all accounts, it appears as if this wasn't the case. According to imdb.com, he returned to the Bahamas with his wife after his career took a downturn. If you would like to read more about him, here is the link to his page on imdb.com:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0516865/

Spin City Playlist For 4/14/07

4 pm hour

Walking On Sunshine- Katrina & the Waves
Your Gold Teeth II- Steely Dan
Enjoy Yourself- The Jacksons
Wishing Well- Terence Trent D'Arby
Dead Man's Party- Oingo Boingo
Island of Lost Souls- Blondie
War- Edwin Starr

On the Flip Side segment:
Tell Me What You Want (B-side to Private Eyes)- Hall & Oates

Instant Replay- Dan Hartman
I'm Coming Home- Spinners
Typical Male- Tina Turner
Kitty (orig. version of "Mickey)- Racey
You Are the Girl- The Cars
You & I- Earth, Wind, & Fire

5 pm hour
Bang A Gong (Get It On)- T. Rex
C 30, C 60, C 90, Go!- Bow Wow Wow
Hard Times- Run DMC
Dirty Mind- Prince
The Wizard- Uriah Heep
Ain't No Half Steppin'- Heatwave
Luka- Suzanne Vega

The Guilty Pleasure of the Week:
Everything Is Beautiful- Ray Stevens

Are You Man Enough- Four Tops
Love Is the Key- Maze feat. Frankie Beverly
Will It Go 'Round In Circles- Billy Preston
Show Me- The Pretenders
Cold As Ice- Foreigner
Ego Tripping Out- Marvin Gaye

6 pm hour

Love Or Let Me Be Lonely- Friends of Distinction
The Show Must Go On- Three Dog Night
Antmusic- Adam & the Ants
Broken Wings- Mr. Mister
(I'm Just Thinking About) Cooling Out- Jerry Butler
Messing With My Mind- Labelle
Mississippi Queen- Mountain
Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)- Icicle Works
Rock Me Amadeus- Falco (song was #1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart this week in 1986)
Me Myself & I- De La Soul
Last Night A DJ Saved My Life- Indeep
No Matter What- Badfinger
Hard Luck Woman- Kiss
I Didn't Mean To Turn You On- Cherelle

Spin City Playlist For 4/7/07

4 pm hour

Theme From Shaft- Isaac Hayes
Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom)- Staple Singers
Pearl In the Shell- Howard Jones
How Long- Ace
Little Jackie Wants To Be A Star- Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
I Go To Work- Kool Moe Dee
Photograph- Def Leppard

Common Thread segment (belated 62nd b-day tribute to Eric Clapton):
Bell Bottom Blues
Promises
Rock & Roll Heart
I Can't Stand It

I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love- The Emotions
I Got Ants In My Pants- James Brown
Summer Days- Partridge Family

5 pm hour

Da Butt- E.U.
My Heart Goes Bang Bang- Dead or Alive
Fascination- David Bowie
Car Wash- Rose Royce
She Don't Let Nobody (But Me)- Curtis Mayfield
Together In Electric Dreams- Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder
Hungry Heart- Bruce Springsteen
Stoney Ground- The Foundations
The Mirror- Spooky Tooth
Live & Let Die- Paul McCartney & Wings
And You Know That- Sequence
Here Comes Your Man- The Pixies
De Do Do Do De Da Da Da- The Police
(If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) Why Can't I Touch You- Ronnie Dyson

6 pm hour

(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again- LTD
I've Got To Use My Imagination- Gladys Knight & the Pips
Changing Everyday- Culture Club
Young Turks- Rod Stewart
Contusion- Stevie Wonder
Special Care- Fanny
Beat's So Lonely- Charlie Sexton
In the Rain- The Dramatics (song was #1 on the R&B charts this week in 1972)
I Couldn't Believe It- David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks
Joystick- Dazz Band
Breakdown- Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Make Believe- Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
The Killing Moon- Echo & the Bunnymen