NEW AND UPCOMING ADDS FOR NOVEMBER 2013

New adds so far in November include gems from The Archies, Arkade, Toni Basil, Chuck Berry, The Book Of Changes, Debby Boone, Buckwheat, The Cult, Vic Dana, Jimmy Dean, Deep Purple, Huelyn Duvall, The Guilloteens, Janis Ian, The Inmates(the late 70's British pub rock group), Iron Butterfly, Joe Jackson, Jan & Dean, The Jive Bombers, Nicolette Larson, Mama Cass Elliot, Rick/Ricky Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Ratt, Lou Reed, Wayne Rooks, Jumpin' Gene Simmons, Spooky Tooth, Ray Stevens, The Tempos(the vocal group from Pittsburgh), Til Tuesday, Tommy Tutone, Village People, The Walkers(a Danish glam group), Steve Winwood, and Yes.

Coming this week to the rotation will be obscurities or seldom-heard platters from the likes of Bobby McFerrin, Bobby Arvon, Big Noise, Fabulous Counts, Curtis Lee, Pete Drake And His Talking Steel Guitar, Robert Palmer, Barry Ryan, The Unifics, Ram Jam, Black Oak Arkansas, Carly Simon, The Jeremy Spencer Band, Willows, The Avant Garde, Alisha, Tom Fogerty, George Hamilton, The Malibus, Eddie Quinteros, The Viceroys, Voggue, The Almond Lettuce, Bonnie Pointer, and The Tricks. And of course, your potentially challenging requests!

The old days of gasoline under a buck and jukeboxes at the pizza parlor booths live once again at The Retro Attic! Tune in now at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com and be sure to tell all of your fellow oldies-lovin' friends about us!

COMING IN JANUARY 2014

By the time 2014 begins, there will be 4 new weekly 1-hour shows debuting on The Retro Attic that will be refreshing additions to our normal regular rotation of oldies and our Featured Artist Of The Month:

1. MALTED MEMORIES - Obscurities from the 50's, with the main goal being to showcase approximately 90% non-charters. Everything from Brunswick, Cadence, Roulette, ABC-Paramount, etc. will be dug out. This will air on Thursday nights.

2. FUZZY FLASHBACKS - My favorite garage and psych cuts from the 60's. Everything from small, regional labels to nationally-known, major-label acts will be heard. This will air on Friday nights.

3. SOOTHING 70'S - Soft rock/adult contemporary tunes from the 70's, concentrating on those that you don't hear every day. This will air on Saturday nights.

4. TOO MUCH OF THE 80'S IS NEVER ENOUGH! - Lesser-known 80's gems that you may remember first seeing/hearing on a certain music video channel. I especially liked those that only received light video rotation; in other words, you had to stay up overnight in order to see/hear them! This will air on Sunday nights.

The primary purpose of these shows will be to showcase songs that aren't heard in our regular rotation. One of these shows should be ready to go by the end of 2013, and I will be sure to let you know when it's ready!

I'm also planning on doing a podcast beginning in January that will focus on tunes that will cater to a specific type of audience; it's a genre of music that I've been a big fan of for 30 years. That announcement will be coming soon!

The Retro Attic's Featured Artist Of The Month for November will be The Beach Boys. Whether it was a #1 smash or a bubbling under entry, you will hear it here; from "Sail On Sailor" to "Getcha Back" to "It's O.K.," there will be no surf too rough for us to tackle! We'll even look back at that Dennis Wilson solo album that at one time was a high-demand CD during the golden era of Flea Bay; it was one of those few titles that I never encountered during my many junking trips in the south! In December, The Retro Attic will "Monkee around" - this works out well as those guys cut a couple of holiday-related numbers that I can easily throw in to their mix.

Thank you for listening and keep up with all of our latest by visiting us at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com. While you're there, feel free to watch our Music Video Of The Week!

OUR LATEST YOUTUBE PROMO CLIP

If you have a bunch of friends who are Youtube junkies and/or are oldies music fans, then please feel free to inform them about the below promo clip I made for the station. It's a good way to introduce them to the concept of the station!

RICK NELSON/NEW ADDS/WE'RE ON NOKIA!

As you probably already know, Rick Nelson is our August Artist Of The Month. Granted, he didn't have very many chart singles during the 70's, but in my personal opinion, many of the non-charting singles he released during that decade were better than "Palace Guard," "Life," and even "Garden Party." I especially like '71's "Gypsy Pilot." If you were/are a big fan of his, then what overlooked platters were your faves?

Some of our new regular rotation adds this week include Pearl Bailey, The Blendtones, Fallen Angels(they would later become late 70's rockers Starz), John Kilzer, Fandango, Les Emmerson, Tommy Page, Barclay James Harvest, Betty Harris, George McCurn, Kerry Livgren, The Ardells, Locomotiv GT, Alice Wonder Land, The Treniers, Michael Morales, Billy Storm, The Fabulous Continentals, Bill Quateman, Johnny Paycheck, Blue Cheer, The Brandos, Living Colour, and Tommy Shaw. Where else are you going to hear a mix like this?

If you have a Nokia device, you may be delighted to hear that The Retro Attic can now be found on their directory.

What'cha waiting for? Tune in now at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com.

August Update

New adds so far in August include The Archies, The Barbusters, The Beatles, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Cher, Dokken, Donna Fargo, Freddy Fender, Gallery, The Goodees, Dickie Goodman, Heart, Bruce Hornsby And The Range, Margie Joseph, Bob Seger, Spirit, Rod Stewart, Henry Lee Summer, The Sunshine Company, Tangier, U2, Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps, The What's New, Tony Joe White, and Paul Hucklebuck Williams. There will be plenty more to come, and as always, requests are accepted through our site's request form!

All of Rick Nelson's Hot 100 charters and bubblers are currently being showcased while he's our Artist Of The Month. During the second half of August, there will be some singles added from the late 60's and the 70's that were non-charters.

Speaking of our Artist Of The Month, I think it's safe to say that The Beach Boys will be one of the artists featured sometime between October and December. Help solidify the other two months by voting in our site's poll!

There will be no more Flannel Free Music shows. I had it on for 4 weeks and hardly anyone was listening to it. I promote my station as playing 50's to 80's oldies, so it was probably too much of a curveball to play 90's music. The Forgotten Five, The American Bottom 45, and Retro AOR will continue to be developed as they definitely fit in with the theme of the station.

Take yourself to where the action is by visiting us at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com. Thanks for listening!

8/7 PLAYLIST FOR OUR NEW SHOW "FLANNEL FREE MUSIC"

Our new show, "Flannel Free Music," airs tonight from 8 PM eastern until almost 9:30. It is a show for those of you who loved the safe sounds of pop and AOR from the early to mid 90's; it is also a repeat of this past Wednesday night's show.

An all-new show will air on this coming Wednesday morning at 11 AM eastern and will feature the following artists: Baby Animals, 38 Special, Lemonheads, Swervedriver, Blue Tears, The Scorpions, Breathe, REO Speedwagon, Asia, The Northern Pikes, Donna Lewis, White Lion, The Triplets, Tears For Fears, Gary Hoey, Mike + The Mechanics, Steve Winwood, The Cavedogs, Cinderella, and Paul McCartney.

You can tune in at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com or look for The Retro Attic at Tunein.com or ITunes Radio in their "Golden Oldies" category.

"FLANNEL FREE MUSIC" PLAYLIST FOR 7/31

"Flannel Free Music" will not be on tonight, but instead will return on Wednesday morning the 31st at 11 eastern with an all-new show of tracks from the 90's music scene that tried their best to keep the spirit of the 70's and 80's alive...not to mention that they were also some of DJ Gilbert Matthews' personal favorites! The show will then be repeated next Saturday night at 8 eastern; this is how future shows will air from now on.

Wednesday's show will include the following artists: The Smithereens, Giant, L.A. Guns, Tall Stories, Belinda Carlisle, Matthew Sweet, Rush, The Knack, Wilson Phillips, Shakespear's Sister, Go West, Stryper, Glass Tiger, Jellyfish, Sophie B. Hawkins, Steve Perry, The Human League, Tora Tora, Julian Lennon, and Jude Cole.

Thursday morning ushers in the month of August, which means a new Featured Artist Of The Month on The Retro Attic. It should be a "mighty good" time as we focus on the works of the late Rick Nelson!

Tune in now and in the future at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com.

FLANNEL FREE MUSIC - 7/20 PLAYLIST

Our weekly dose of friendly-sounding pop, alternapop and arena rock from the 90's music scene known as "Flannel Free Music" returns on Saturday night at 8 PM eastern with a repeat airing on the following Wednesday morning at 11 AM eastern. Get ready for nearly 90 minutes of tracks from the following artists:

The Posies - Dada - Patty Smyth - Brother Cane - The Badlees - Alias - Kings Of The Sun - Danger Danger - Michael Penn - Robert Palmer - Firehouse - Toad The Wet Sprocket - The Juliana Hatfield Three - Cheap Trick - Del Amitri - Damn Yankees - The Screaming Jets - Peter Cetera - The Church - Mitch Malloy.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking..."These aren't oldies!" Considering how passe some of these artists' musical stylings are these days, plus the mere fact that in 1977 we considered the 1957 hit "Oh, Boy!" to be an oldie, I think that I'm justified in treating "Flannel Free Music" as a reminiscing type of show. Everything that we once knew is gone; be thankful that someone is still playing these tracks!

Visit us on Saturday night at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com and you will soon realize that just like the 50's through the 80's, the early to mid 90's tunage was pretty cool too!

"FLANNEL FREE MUSIC" DEBUTS THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!

The Retro Attic will always continue to have as its main focus the showcasing of 50's to 80's music, but starting this Saturday night(July 13th), a small change will occur. For 60 to 90 minutes every Saturday night, "Flannel Free Music" will present DJ Gilbert Matthews' personal favorites from the 90's that most people will find to be easy on the ears with lyrics that can be understood. The playlists will primarily delve into the world of pop, AOR and classic rock and of course will feature some bands that were mainly known for their 70's and 80's output. My purpose is to bring back those songs that, a lot of the time, didn't get anywhere near as much exposure as those angry-sounding guys from the Seattle bands. Once in a while you may hear me play something that could be interpreted as grunge, but in my opinion was from a band that shouldn't have gotten included in that scene.

Tune in on Saturday night at 8 PM eastern and reacquaint or introduce yourself to tracks from Cry Of Love, The Outfield, Roxette, Sass Jordan, Teenage Fanclub, The Rembrandts, Material Issue, The Brat Pack, Toy Matinee, Bad Company, The Spin Doctors, Heart, Billy Falcon, Ric Ocasek, The Rebel Pebbles, Russ Irwin, World Party, and Styx.

Requests will be accepted for future shows; you can do so by visiting our site at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com. Please do not request anything by Gwar or else I will have to cover you in mud deeper and filthier than what some people encountered at Woodstock '94!

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 6/24 PLAYLIST

It's reunion week here on The Retro Attic! DJ Gilbert Matthews' 30th high school reunion is coming up on Friday and Saturday, so our daily one hour flashback to the hits of the 70's and early 80's only has around 3 more new shows before the grand finale: an all-day marathon that begins on Saturday at 12 noon eastern!

Today, we look back at the 1971-1984 era with: Honeymoon Suite, Bellamy Brothers, The Modern Lovers(for those who are in love with Massachusetts), Charlie Daniels Band, Corey Hart, M, Prince And The Revolution, Captain & Tennille(one of their top 40 hits, but probably their least-known hit - the AC station in Claremont, NH used to play it quite a bit), Michael Jackson, Huey Lewis And The News, George Harrison, Triumph(this is for you, Lisa!), The Grease Cast, Scandal Featuring Patty Smyth, Boz Scaggs, and Nigel Olsson.

Join "Gil's High School Reunion" today at 2 PM eastern by visiting The Retro Attic at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com. Get ready to rawk, play your fiddle hard, and leave that 9 to 5 up on the shelf. You may want to slow dance too, and as you know whoa whoa whoa whoa, it takes two to tango...

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 6/17 PLAYLIST

It is once again time to be banished to the music room of your old high school or middle school(mine was in the basement at the middle school) between 2 and 3 PM eastern on Monday for another offering of "Gil's High School Reunion!" This may be the most torturous or the most entertaining detention you will ever serve; these 16 tunes will either have you throwing chalk-filled erasers at Gil or propping your feet up on the desk and cranking up your Walkman!

You will hear classics, a couple of obscurities, a guy curling his lip, a couple of numbers that we danced to at Howard Johnson's during 84-85 thanks to cover bands(my classmates will know what I'm talking about), and even a true "oldie but goodie" that Red Sox fans know very well. Monday's roster includes: Billy Idol, Romeo Void, INXS, Kajagoogoo, Kenny Loggins With Steve Perry, Twisted Sister, Tommy Tutone(they're filed under "To" - I used to work with college girls who would file Jethro Tull cassettes under "T"), Billy Thorpe, Bee Gees, Smokie, Stevie Wonder, ABBA, Patrick Hernandez, Dazz Band, Autograph, and The Standells.

"Gil's High School Reunion" can be heard by tuning in at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com. The site also now features Facebook "Recommend" and "Like" buttons for the site and for the station's Facebook page, respectively; if you get a moment, please look for them, click on them, and help spread the word about the show and The Retro Attic through your social network of friends!

The show only has about 2 weeks more to go and will be capped off with a 24 hour marathon that will run from 12 noon eastern on Saturday, June 29th to 12 noon eastern on Sunday, June 30th. A lot of the tunes will end up being moved over to The Retro Attic's regular rotation afterwards.

A big thanks goes out to those who have been checking out the show and the station. More new shows are looming in the near future!

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 6/4 PLAYLIST

Put your books under the desk, get out your headphones, and get ready for a pop quiz(as well as punk, classic rock, r&b, and new wave) with "Gil's High School Reunion!" Our next playlist includes many titans that were heard in the high school halls during the 70's and early 80's as well as a special request that was made by the party host for Gil's upcoming 30th reunion!

The hour's worth of memories begin at 2 PM eastern on Tuesday and include: Gino Vannelli, Duran Duran, Kool & The Gang, The Human League, Scorpions, Eric Clapton, Ramones, The Beach Boys, Christopher Cross, Peter Frampton, Tesla, The Tubes, Berlin, The Clash, Starz, and Michael Stanley Band. Tune in at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com to hear the show; we can also be found at http://tunein.com and ITunes Radio in their "Golden Oldies" category.

When you get a moment, feel free to like us on Facebook by searching for The Retro Attic - 50s To 80s Rare Oldies. You can also follow us on Twitter by going to http://www.twitter.com/melrocker65. We have one of the most eclectic oldies rotations out there; whether it hit #3 or #93, whether it was a soon-to-be successful TV show actor, or whether it was a little girl who would one day become a gold medal hockey player, the chances are pretty good that your favorite obscure oldie will be showcased at some point during the day! Thank you for listening!

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 6/2 PLAYLIST

It's once again time to take you former high school rebels of the Class Of '73, '78 and '83 back to simpler, yet very trippy times! "Gil's High School Reunion" is ready to rock your Sunday afternoon with a playlist of 70's and early 80's hits that is almost as hot as this New England weekend is!

Get out your Slip N' Slide and while you're cooling down, go on a flashback with the following artists: Alice Cooper, Suzi Quatro And Chris Norman, Leo Sayer, Peaches & Herb, Wet Willie, 10cc, Night, Janis Ian, David Bowie, The Fixx, Naked Eyes, Ozzy Osbourne, Dolly Parton, Men Without Hats, and Red Rider. The fun begins at 2 PM eastern; check us out and tune in at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com.

There are only 4 weeks left before Gil's big day and the end of this show. If you're wondering what The Retro Attic has in store once Gil comes back from his 30th reunion, then dig this: Rod Stewart will be July's "Featured Artist Of The Month," which means you will hear one of his classics, a lesser-known charter, or an album cut once every 60 minutes. Coming on July 13th will be the premiere edition of "Flannel Free Music," a weekly 60 minute show that will play mainstream, catchy and easy-to-understand tunes from the 90's; if you were into artists like Toy Matinee, Material Issue, Spin Doctors, Firehouse, Starclub, Russ Irwin, Mitch Malloy, etc., then you should find this to be enjoyable!

Also hopefully in July will be the launch of a sister station called "The Retro Attic Of Rock(Retro AOR)." It will be devoted to playing nothing but late 60's to early 90's music full of guitars, keyboards, exquisite musicianship, partying attitude, epic song lengths, long hair, rebellion, ridiculous amounts of makeup, and spandex. Whether it was a major label release or an obscure indie, you won't be able to predict what you will hear next!

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 5/27 PLAYLIST

Depending on where you're located this holiday weekend, you either got rained out or...dare I say it...snowed out! Here at The Retro Attic, the forecast is always sunny as we dish out abundant amounts of musical memories from 40 years' worth of Hot 100 and Bubbling Under charts. It's time to usher in the start of summer and the 1 month countdown to a special event as we present another episode of "Gil's High School Reunion!"

Anybody who has an upcoming reunion in the 25th to 40th range will dig Monday's playlist! The volume intensity will fluctuate from -1 to 11 thanks to artists such as The Emotions, Greg Kihn Band, Dr. Hook, Air Supply, Randy Meisner, The Doors(RIP Ray Manzarek), Grand Funk, Laura Branigan, Sammy Johns, Gene Cotton, Pointer Sisters, Thin Lizzy, The Wing And A Prayer Fife And Drum Corps., Trooper, ZZ Top, Bruce Springsteen, and The B-52's.

Tune in Monday(as well as every day until June 30th) at 2 PM eastern to hear the show! You can do so by visiting us at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com; while you're there, feel free to request your favorite summertime oldie!

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 5/22 PLAYLIST

"Gil's High School Reunion" rolls on tomorrow at 2 PM eastern with another hour of 70's and 80's tunes that will make you twist, shout, cry, sing along, or perhaps even beg for mercy. Wednesday's playlist contains all bonafide classics except for one, but it can be forgiven; the lone exception and one other tune have connections to everyone's favorite arena rock group, Journey!

The menu will include: Warren Zevon, Eddie Rabbitt, Stevie Nicks, 707, Bonnie Tyler, Paul Simon, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rufus, Joe Jackson, Chic, Santana, Ronnie Milsap, Supertramp, George Baker Selection, and Toni Basil.

If you haven't seen your favorite 25th or 30th high school reunion era tune in the menus(approximately 1973-83) so far, then let Chef Gilbert Matthews know and he will whip up a sizzlin' platter straight from his vast musical grill! But hurry...his reunion is only a little more than a month away!

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 5/16 PLAYLIST

Going to high school in the 70's and early 80's meant dealing with a melting pot of classmates: you had the rebel who wrapped fake soda labels around beer cans and brought them into school, you had the girl who was mellow and as nice as could be, and you had the bespectacled genius who was a closet metalhead. Today's edition of "Gil's High School Reunion" could also be called an extremely eclectic melting pot; where else in the course of 10 minutes can you jump up and down like a pogo stick, quickly change into denim and leather and give yourself instant whiplash, and come back down to earth by grabbing your office co-worker and doing a slow dance?

Today's musical alumni includes the following: The 4 Seasons, Wall Of Voodoo, Daryl Hall & John Oates, John Sebastian, Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, The James Gang, AWB, Uriah Heep, Motorhead, Rhythm Heritage, Alabama, Raydio, The Motels, Nicolette Larson, Ali Thomson, Duke Jupiter, and Peter Brown. 60 minutes of musical bliss...or laughs...or the reasons you bought 5 dollar concert tickets...whatever the case, there is no denying that we grew up in a fun musical era!

The fun begins today at 2 PM eastern. Tune in at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com and make sure to follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/melrocker65.

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 5/15 PLAYLIST

"Gil's High School Reunion" takes to the Retro Attic Oldies Radio Arena ice today at 2 PM eastern with more of those hits and occasional lost gems that the classes of '78 and '83 will remember well. They will be coming at you faster than goals from the Boston Bruins in the last half of a Game 7's 3rd period! A couple of these may result in your wanting to penalize Gil 2 minutes for roughing up the listeners' ears, but that's a chance he's willing to take(if he played a lot of today's music, he'd probably be given a multi-game suspension!).

Today's playlist also includes a couple of 5 minute jams from '69 and '71 that, even though they fall "outside of the radar," are instantly recognizable classics. The roster includes: Devo, Franke & The Knockouts, Andrew Gold, Creedence Clearwater Revival, 38 Special, Stray Cats, Steve Martin, Paul Davis, Outlaws, Donna Summer, Bob Welch, Grateful Dead, Adam Ant, and Al Stewart.

Tickets to listen are always free, so what are you waiting for(and that includes overtime listening after 3 PM)? Visit us at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com and groove to tunes that Terry O'Reilly and Ken Dryden once enjoyed on their 8 track players!

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 5/8 PLAYLIST

"Gil's High School Reunion" is ready to bring more smiles to your Wednesday workday than those "Have A Nice Day" alarm clocks ever did! The show's 16 choice cuts from 1975-1982 will take you back to those days of long lines at the gas stations and long lines at the record stores; remember when you couldn't wait to dash out of your local record store, get back home with your new album, and cut open the shrink wrap(and bleed all over the place if you weren't careful)?

Featured acts will include Orleans, Blondie, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Diana Ross, Robbie Dupree, Neil Diamond, Nazareth, Silver Convention, Cheap Trick, David Gates, The Bus Boys, Gerry Rafferty, John Stewart, Toby Beau, Karla Bonoff, and Benny Mardones. Unlike our regular rotation, this show will be 80% top 40 and 20% minor/non-charters.

"Gil's High School Reunion" can be heard on The Retro Attic - 50s To 80s Rare Oldies every day from 2 to 3 PM eastern until June 30th(on the 29th, Gil will walk into his 30th reunion party clean-shaven and will probably scare most of his classmates!). Visit us at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com and return to the days when radio was truly unpredictable!

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 5/6 PLAYLIST

"Gil's High School Reunion" returns with an all-new(or is it all-old?) show on Monday at 2 PM eastern, featuring more of those classic early 70's to early 80's artists whose names you wrote down on your brown grocery sack covered textbooks. Or maybe you didn't due to peer pressure or else the radio station you listened to back in the old days never mentioned who the artists were!

The playlist will include Firefall, The Beatles(yes, they had hits during my school days), The Kiki Dee Band, April Wine, KC And The Sunshine Band, Starbuck, Rainbow, Van Halen, Henry Gross, Juice Newton, Jackson Browne, The Marshall Tucker Band, Paul Anka With Odia Coates(no, it's not THAT one - I wouldn't be that cruel on a Monday), Rockets, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, and John Paul Young.

Shampoo with Agree, put on your Right Guard, and then join us upstairs in The Retro Attic as we shower the people with 60 minutes of classic oldies! Plenty of musical lessons await you when you visit us at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com.

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 4/30 PLAYLIST

Tuesday's edition of "Gil's High School Reunion" will be a special "It's A Bit Cooler Here In Cape Cod" edition. Why, you ask? Well, yours truly has a wedding anniversary to celebrate...something that 5 years ago I couldn't have envisioned happening in a million years.

From 2 to 3 PM eastern, our internet radio time capsule known as The Retro Attic will take you back to 1975-1985 with 16 cuts that will make you smile, cringe or have you checking out Wikipedia because you may not have paid attention the first time around. Some people in this day and age will call some of these tracks "lame" or "crap," but some of those same people are the ones who originally helped to make these big hits. These will be heard at my high school reunion on June 29th, which is just one day out of a 5 year period that my class gets together; it is a day to reminisce and forget about the present. On Monday morning, July 1st, everyone can return their radio dials to normal(clearing my throat now) and have their senses assaulted by Kenny, Brad, Blake, Lady GooGoo and that Minaj gal.

For those who are ready to return to the good old days for an hour tomorrow, the artists featured include Nick Lowe, Sheena Easton, Heart, LeBlanc & Carr, Journey, Missing Persons, Blues Brothers, Crystal Gayle, Dottie West, Elvis Costello, REO Speedwagon, Rick Springfield, Dave Edmunds, Michael Murphey, New England, and Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony.

Requests for future shows are always accepted; as a matter of fact, I have played some of my classmates' requests already! Visit us at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com and hop aboard our nostalgia love train!

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 4/24 PLAYLIST

Just when you thought it was safe to return to following the Kardashian family saga, "Gil's High School Reunion" slips its way back into your 1973-1983 locker like a love note from your secret admirer. There are only 2 songs in today's show that didn't make the top 40, so return to the days of your overloaded 45 record changer and let the 60 minute party begin at 2 PM eastern!

The classics and one hit wonders showcased today include Johnny Lee, Queen, The Brotherhood Of Man, Pat Benatar, Eagles, Prism, Alan O'Day, Loverboy, Stephen Bishop, Roger Voudouris, Jigsaw, Jefferson Starship, Chicago, The Police, Ian Gomm, Go-Go's, and First Class.

It was a great time to be listening to the radio, and The Retro Attic brings it back to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Just go to http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com, open up a can of Tab or Schlitz, and settle in your beanbag chair...

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 4/22 PLAYLIST

Now that some peace and quiet has been restored to our great country, it is time for The Retro Attic to resume Gil's High School Reunion! Monday's all-new show features more of that greasy kid's stuff from 1973-83 that has quietly slipped away from your memory bank. Musical torture or delights...let your ears decide! The fun airs every day from 2 to 3 PM eastern.

Featured artists include Gary Wright, Brick, Judas Priest, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Tavares, Genesis, Eric Carmen, The Rolling Stones, Leif Garrett, Sammy Hagar, Blue Oyster Cult, Alan Parsons Project, Sherbs, Steve Miller Band, Kim Carnes, and Men At Work.

Ways to tune in, criticisms, and requests can all be done by going to http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com. Just keep in mind that your criticisms may result in a detention, which will be spent patching the holes in the knees of your blue jeans and cutting off either your mullet or Farrah locks.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK - TIL TUESDAY - COMING UP CLOSE - 1987 - #59

It only makes sense that The Retro Attic honors the city of Boston in this week's music video. Til Tuesday will always be remembered for the top 10 hit "Voices Carry," but if you sift through their 3 albums, you will find far superior cuts. "Coming Up Close" was my favorite from them, and somehow it got lost in the shuffle.

GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION - 4/17 PLAYLIST

"Gil's High School Reunion" was a repeat yesterday due to the events that unfolded in Boston. It hit home a little too near for me, so naturally some things are a bit more important. And some people wonder why I'm so obsessed with nostalgia; there once was a time when different nationalities of people could peacefully co-exist with each other, and I would hope that most of you occasionally long for those simpler days.

Anyways, the beat goes on...various genres of music once peacefully co-existed on the charts also, and today's playlist is a fine example. For 60 minutes, get ready to have your ears invaded by funk, disco, country-rock, classic rock, power pop, heavy metal, and power ballads. 1973 to 1984 artists featured today include Meat Loaf, The Moody Blues, J. Geils Band, Linda Ronstadt, Electric Light Orchestra, Cyndi Grecco, Amii Stewart, The Gap Band, Brownsville Station, Quiet Riot, Pure Prairie League, Sneaker, Climax Blues Band, John Cougar, and The Romantics. You may not remember a couple of these; Sneaker was my first dance song at my wedding, and it's been a personal favorite of mine for many years.

Open up the locker known as "Gil's High School Reunion" today at 2 PM eastern if your ears need to smile once again. There is no combination needed; just visit us at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com for tune in options.

"GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION" FOR 4/15

If this day is proving to be too "taxing" for you, then lift up your spirits with today's edition of "Gil's High School Reunion!" Remember analog recordings? Remember when bands could actually play and sing in tune? Remember when your boyfriend or girlfriend serenaded you with heartfelt lyrics that didn't have a moan or a gasp every 5 seconds or didn't have constant derogatory terms for a man or a woman? Well, Adam Sandler sure does, and we have a couple of his favorite tunes included in today's show!

Today's blast of early 70's to early 80's classics and lost hits includes cuts from Exile, Billy Squier, Lipps, Inc., The Dirt Band, Todd Rundgren, Bob Seger, A Flock Of Seagulls, Ian Matthews, Cliff Richard, Night Ranger, The Records, The Doobie Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Silver, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

If you've been dazed and confused for so long with today's music scene, then join us between 2 and 3 PM eastern every day for "Gil's High School Reunion," and make sure to check out The Retro Attic's regular programming for musical classes that you will probably never be late for!

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK - DAVE EDMUNDS - HIGH SCHOOL NIGHTS - 1985 - #91

Best known for his top 40 hits "I Hear You Knockin'" and "Slipping Away," British guitarist Dave Edmunds hit the Hot 100 one last time in 1985 with this track that was featured in "Porky's Revenge," the third and last movie in the successful "Porky's" franchise. I always thought this song wasn't given a fair chance, and the best way to hear it is through the extended version that was played during the movie's closing credits.

Dave always had an obvious love for late 50's and early 60's rock and roll. This was especially true with his playing a big part in getting The Stray Cats a lot of success in the U.S. He could also crank out some frenzied fretwork with the best of them; check out "Sabre Dance" from his late 60's group Love Sculpture and you will quickly understand!

Choosing this video this week was easy for another reason: it is my way to remind you of my new show "Gil's High School Reunion," which begins today and runs daily until June 29th from 2 to 3 PM eastern. This will really be the only time on The Retro Attic when you will get to hear mostly hits! The show features all of the hits from 1973-83 that you love(or perhaps can only barely tolerate) along with the occasional lost gem. The show culminates on June 29th with an all-day marathon that will serve as the background music at my 30th reunion party. All I know is that it cuts down considerably on having to lug around a bunch of equipment and everyone will get to mingle/enjoy themselves!

FEATURED ARTIST OF THE MONTH - ON HIATUS, BUT IT WILL BE BACK!

The Retro Attic's Featured Artist Of The Month will be taking a break from April 1st until July 1st so that 3 new shows can be developed and launched. These are the artists you can look forward to during the summer when it returns:

July - Rod Stewart
August - Rick Nelson
September - The Carpenters

I know that I had advertised Heart and Rush as co-featured artists for April since they're being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The ceremony takes place on April 18th, so what I will probably do during the week of the 15th through the 19th is play some occasional tracks from them as well as fellow inductees Randy Newman, Donna Summer, and Albert King. Feel free to make requests for any of these inductees in the meantime!

As far as the 3 new shows are concerned, I have already mentioned "Gil's High School Reunion," which starts on April 8th. I will go into a little more detail about the other 2 shows in a post that will come out during the next day or so.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK - AMBROSIA - HOW CAN YOU LOVE ME - 1982 - #86

Ambrosia were one of the kings of westcoast AOR during the late 70's and early 80's, racking up such memorable numbers as "Holdin' On To Yesterday," "How Much I Feel," and "You're The Only Woman(You And I)." For their last album during their heyday, 1982's Road Island, they decided to crank up the amps a bit. A lot of die-hard fans will tell you that this was a fantastic album, but unfortunately the general public wasn't interested as its first single(featured here) died a quick death.

If you look closely, you will see Bruce Hornsby handling piano and keyboard duties. As most of you may know, Ambrosia bassist Joe Puerta would later become a member of Bruce's backing band The Range.

Listen for this forgotten gem in the coming days in the Retro Attic's regular rotation along with a couple of their classics in "Gil's High School Reunion," our new show which will be airing daily between April 8th and June 30th. You are probably saying to yourself right now: nice, nice, very nice!

NEW SHOW: GIL'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION

DJ Gilbert Matthews, the guy who brings you all those head-scratching, seldom-heard oldies on The Retro Attic, has his 30th high school reunion coming up at the end of June! To mark the occasion, he will be featuring a daily one-hour block of hits(with the occasional lost gem) covering the period of 1973-83! If you have a reunion coming up that fits in this time frame, then you may want to give "Gil's High School Reunion" a listen. The show will begin on Monday, April 8th and will air every day from 2 to 3 PM eastern. Gil has a few classmates and some other fellow alumni that are interested in hearing this, so that was all the motivation he needed(plus he loves this particular musical era to death!).

The initial batch of tunes will include favorites from Ambrosia, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Rush, Pink Floyd, Village People, Donny & Marie Osmond, Saga, Kansas, Bay City Rollers, Rita Coolidge, NRBQ, Fleetwood Mac, Eddie Money, Elton John, Wings, Toto, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, and Pilot. The playlist will keep getting better and better until it reaches its eventual conclusion at the end of June. Requests will also be considered for these reunion blocks. Visit us at http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.blogspot.com/ for ways to tune in or visit http://tunein.com/, search for The Retro Attic, and add us to your mobile device!

The promo will begin airing later on tonight here on The Retro Attic!

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK - FIVE AMERICANS - WESTERN UNION - 1967 - #5

These guys were based in Texas and had top 40 hits with "I See The Light," "Sound Of Love," and "Zip Code." This track was definitely their biggest, going all the way to #5. This live clip was from The Steve Allen Show and was done toward the end of 1967.

Lead singer Michael Rabon would later end up in the band Gladstone, who recorded one of my all-time favorite 70's oldies in "A Piece Of Paper." He contributed acoustic guitar and background harmonies to it and it peaked respectably at #45.

Listen for more Five Americans singles on The Retro Attic in the coming days, including one of their top 40s and a couple of their bubblers.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK - HOOTERS - KARLA WITH A K - 1987

Hooters were a Philadelphia band with an eclectic pop sound that garnered them 4 hit singles and MTV videos during 1985 and early 1986: All You Zombies, And We Danced, Day By Day, and Where Do The Children Go(which featured background vocals from Patty Smyth of Scandal fame). Their second album, 1987's One Way Home, went top 30 and was even more musically adventurous; however, it only yielded a couple of minor charters with "Johnny B" and "Satellite."

"Karla With A K" was my favorite of the bunch and was a minor hit in the UK in early '88.

The guys are still active and are putting together some dates for this coming summer. Check out their current activities by going to http://www.hootersmusic.com.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK - DOLENZ, JONES, BOYCE AND HART - I REMEMBER THE FEELING - 1975

I thought I would post something to acknowledge the 1 year anniversary of the passing of Davy Jones; instead of some promo film with a rainbow background that anyone who watched the second season of The Monkees' TV show knows quite well, I decided to showcase this rarity.

Micky and Davy teamed up with songwriters Tommy Boyce And Bobby Hart(the #1 smash "Last Train To Clarksville," its less successful rehash "Teardrop City" and of course their own hits "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite" and "Alice Long") and did well-attended tours of the U.S. and Japan during 1975-76. They also released a self-titled album on Capitol in '76 that had a fine batch of well-written pop and rock tunes, but it got mercilessly outsold by a recycled Monkees greatest hits album that came out on Arista. The album was prefaced by this 1975 single; why it didn't become a hit(or at the very least a top 75 entry) is beyond me.

Coming up on The Retro Attic beginning in early March will be "Monkee Monday," which will be a basic short block of Monkees and solo tunes. Every Monday, each block will be different. Listen for the promo/sweeper in the next few days.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK - CLIMAX BLUES BAND - I LOVE YOU

This week, I thought I'd feature one of the songs that will be on the upcoming American Bottom 45 show for this month. Who says that these guys couldn't get it right? As far as top 40 success was concerned, they got it right twice by hitting the top 3("Couldn't Get It Right") and the top 15(this one). I felt they deserved a 3rd appearance in the top 40 with "Gotta Have More Love," but sometimes timing isn't everything.

Some critics slammed this song because it sounded "too influenced" by Badfinger, but I know I didn't care. I thought that Badfinger was a great band!

Anyways, enjoy this clip and I'll see you on Sunday for the countdown show!

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK - PRELUDE - AFTER THE GOLDRUSH

This song was on the very first K-Tel album I ever heard, and it was complete unlike so many other hits that made it onto those budget compilations! This English folk trio took this Neil Young composition to #22 in the fall of '74; I have had this in the rotation in the past, but I am currently playing their other U.S. charter called "For A Dancer."

The below clip was from a live performance in the early 80's. I think it remains quite faithful to the hit version.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK - KNICKERBOCKERS - Lies - 1965 - #20

Some program directors thought that this New Jersey band's first hit was a new Beatles single; it's pretty easy to hear why(the "such a smart girl" accent is a dead giveaway). Their follow-up single, 1966's One Track Mind, is an overlooked(and in my opinion, better) garage rock gem that just missed the top 40.

Anyways, enjoy this vintage performance clip of a classic that has been remade by Styx, Linda Ronstadt, and...dare I say it...Justine Bateman And The Mystery!

CHANGES COMING - MORE TOP 40!

One of my regular listeners chatted with me the other night when January's edition of The American Bottom 45 first aired, and he expressed concern that I had a sparse number of listeners even though I had a great idea for the show's concept. I am fully aware that my audience could easily be bigger, and I gave him 3 theories on why things are the way they are with my station right now:

1. The majority of the material I play makes the average music fan scratch his/her head(as in "I don't know this one, that one, etc."). My goal has always been to introduce...or in some cases, reintroduce...people to the other side of oldies music, which to me consists of records that stiffed due to lack of promotion, lack of quality, or lack of proper time to get heard. I guess the main thing I'm not realizing is that most people want to first be drawn in with some classics before giving a few obscurities a chance.

2. I took the station out of the Shoutcast listings a while back. That may have been a stupid thing to do since Shoutcast is arguably the #1 internet radio directory out there and they are partnered with many mobile application devices, yet there is another side of the coin with them. A lot of the popular stream ripping programs rely on their directory, and I just can't in good conscience open up the station to these programs who mainly connect whenever I happen to play a song that is on someone's "wish list." However, I am considering going public once again on Shoutcast because I have taken a lot of DRM measures(meaning I have "dirtied" up a lot of the tracks on my playlists). It really baffles me that someone would want to waste a lot of time trying to edit things out just to get a workable track for his/her collection when just a little bit of googling savviness would yield more satisfying results. But whatever...there may be some legitimate Shoutcast users out there, so I'll probably be back. And speaking of the ripping programs, this leads me to #3...

3. I have come to the conclusion that the typical internet radio audience is made up of mostly those who intend on recording, whether it be for time-shifting purposes or for splitting a stream into convenient, individual files. With all of the preventive measures I have in place(crossfading, metadata changes screwing up the beginning and ending points of the tracks, constant sweeper inclusions, and voiceovers), I'm pretty sure I have scared off a good portion of that "audience."

I don't intend on changing anything about #3; I'd rather have some personality and station branding as part of the flow instead of sounding like some plain old jukebox. As previously mentioned, I should be back in the Shoutcast listings in the near future(after I convince myself that the rippers will be crying once they realize they're not getting clean, complete tracks from me).

This regular listener mentioned at the beginning of this posting brought up a good point that I'm going to utilize in the coming weeks. One way for me to draw in more listeners will be to start showcasing more top 40 hits from yesteryear. What I'm planning on doing is having a couple of master playlists; one will have nothing but top 40 entries and the other will have minor charters/bubblers/non-charters. For every 10 tracks heard, 6 will be pulled from the minor charters and 4 will be pulled from top 40, so the theme to my station(rare oldies) will still hold true. Yet you will now have a greater opportunity to hear some of your favorite classics at the same time!

Doing a "no repeat" format is just not feasible for me. I would rather have people hear their favorite tracks a little more often than just once every 2 weeks or so. I'm always getting new curiosity seekers every day, so I need to take them into consideration too.

The changes will be more noticeable as we get closer to spring. In the meantime, feel free to contact me and give me your two cents about any of the points I made above. A big thanks goes out to those of you who believe in what I'm doing and who are helping me keep the station going...this is all for the love of oldies music that certain program directors want to pretend never existed.

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