Across the Universe with Lucy Carrigan - Vol. 1: It Feels So Right Now Hold Me Tight!

Images of broken light which

dance before me like a million eyes

They call me on and on across the universe

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

(COLD OPEN)

"Hold Me Tight" - Beatles cover by Evan Rachel Wood

(from Oct. 2007 film Across The Universe)

Kicking off the show, that was me at the school dance singing a cover of

The Beatles' rock & roll ditty "Hold Me Tight." The song was first released

in the U.S. in January, 1964, on the band's second album Meet the Beatles!

Hello again! As you recall from my sneak

preview last year, I'm Lucy Carrigan aka

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, the lead

character in the 2007 jukebox musical

romantic drama Across The Universe,

a movie that gets under your skin and

goes straight to your heart, dazzling

you with wall-to-wall Beatles songs

performed by exciting new artists.

Today I am officially joining

The Shady Bunch as a DJ on

S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

Quite rightly, my new show

at Shady's Place is called

Across the Universe.

Come with me now on this
musical journey and listen
to the greatest music of the
20th or any other century,
the songs of The Beatles!

Now meet The Reos, four brothers from The Philippines who have been
wowing crowds since 2009 with their covers of The Beatles,
Beach Boys, DC-5, Bee Gees and other artists.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Listen as the Reo Brothers do my theme song, originally released
by The Beatles on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band--
"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds!"

"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" - Beatles cover
by The Reo Brothers (Nov. 2019)

You just heard The fab four Reo Brothers, the Filipino Beatles tribute band,
covering "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" a song originally released
by The Beatles in 1967 on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,

one of the biggest selling albums in history.

Now here's "Something" I think you'll like.

Penned by Beatle George, the song "Some-

thing" was released on The Beatles 1969

album Abbey Road. Late that year it was

a #2 charting smash hit, held back from

the top of the chart only by another

Beatles song, the flip side of the

band's double A sided single

"Come Together."

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Listen now to the song that established

George Harrison as a composer on par

with Lennon and McCartney--

"Something."

"Something" - The Beatles

(Nov./Dec. 1969, highest chart pos. #2 Cash Box/#3 Hot 100

(#1 Hot 100 revised) from Sept. 1969 album Abbey Road)

You just heard George Harrison singing lead on "Something,"
the exquisite ballad he wrote. "Something" is the second
most covered Beatles song right behind "Yesterday."
Time Magazine called "Something" the best song
on Abbey Road, and Abbey Road is considered
by some critics to be the best Beatles album.

Lucy in the sky Carrigan coming

to you on S-P-M-M... your #1

source for cool Beatle goldens.

My 7-in-a-row commercial free

Beatles block party continues

now with another song from

the early part of the band's

evolution. It's a cover by

Amy Slattery, the English

singer and musician who

became a YouTube star

uploading homemade

Beatles covers. Watch,

listen and enjoy as

Amy sings- "All

I've  Got To Do!"

"All I've Got To Do" - Beatles cover by Amy Slattery

(September 2018)

That was English cover girl Amy Slattery with her version
of "All I've Got To Do," an early Beatles song written by
John Lennon and first introduced in 1963 on the band's
second British album With the Beatles. The song was

first released in the U.S. in 1964 on Meet the Beatles!,
the same album that contains "Hold Me Tight,"

the first song your heard on today's show.

If you're just tuning in, I'm Lucy Carrigan
taking you Across the Universe with the
great sounds of The Beatles and Beatles

cover and tribute artists right here on
S-P-M-M... the station built on
a solid foundation of hits.

Now here's The Classic Rock Show,

described as "The classic rock fan’s

ultimate live Juke box!" For the last

twelve years, this Liverpool based

band has been thrilling audiences

with their stage performances

covering 20th century rock songs.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Behold The Classic Rock Show as they perform the Beatles' medley from

Abbey Road-- "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" and "The End."

"Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End" - Beatles cover
by The Classic Rock Show (live performance in Liverpool,
England, on February 23, 2020)

Performing live in Liverpool, that was

The Classic Rock Show with what

might be the definitive cover of

those songs from Abbey Road's

side two medley: "Golden

Slumbers," "Carry That

Weight" and "The End." 

Now here are the MonaLisa Twins,

Mona & Lisa Wagner, musical twin

sisters from Austria who have been

pleasing audiences for years with

their covers of Beatles classics.

Listen as the MonaLisa Twins

do another beautiful song

from the soundtrack of

Across the Universe--

"If I Fell."

"If I Fell" - Beatles cover by MonaLisa Twins

(February 2016)

I hope you enjoyed my first official show here on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.
 Stay tuned. Coming up on the flip side of Gary Owens' news, my good

friend Debbie the Dellette will be here to bring you the latest edition

of her show Debbie the Dellette Meets The Rat Pack, featuring

the groovy sounds from The Shady Dell jukebox. 

And I'll be back soon to transport
you Across the Universe with
another super set of Beatles
classics by The Fab Four
and great cover artists
all over the world.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

To play us off, The Beatles with their
hard rock message song "Revolution."
Now this is Lucy in the Sky asking
you to please remember that all you
need is love. Goodbye everybody!

"Revolution" - The Beatles

(Sept./Oct 1968, highest chart pos. #11 Cash Box,

#12 Hot 100, B side of "Hey Jude")

Shady Train - Ep. 19: Freestyle Awhile!

BOOTH ANNOUNCER:

Shady Train...

the hippest trip in America!

60 nonstop minutes across the

tracks of your mind into the

exciting world of Soul!

And now the host of

Shady Train...

Don Cornelius!

Hi there! You're right on time for another super slick ride on

the big train. You know the drill. Only the cool kids get in

and every tune's a bad mamma jamma. 

And as the train leaves the station on another hip trip, we find ourselves in the mid 80s

when the electronic dance music subgenres of freestyle, Hi-NRG and synthpop
were exploding in popularity. First released as a single in 1986 and again in '87,
"Fascinated" was one of the first freestyle songs to become a mainstream hit.
We now switch live to New York where the talented ladies responsible for
fostering this exciting new sound are set to perform on Club MTV.

CLICK TO START VIDEO NOW! 

As they join us courtesy of Atlantic Records, please welcome
the electrifying trio that call themselves-- Company B!

"Fascinated" - Company B

(March thru June 1987, highest chart pos. #1 Dance,
#21 Hot 100, perf. on Club MTV)

And we're gonna linger a little longer

in New York and freestyle awhile.

Like Company B, our next guests,

native New Yorkers, are credited

with pioneering the freestyle move-

ment. They are led by Lisa Velez

and produced by Full Force, the

Brooklyn based R&B/hip hop

production company.

START VIDEO! 

Currently the group has a chart-topping crossover hit on the Columbia

label entitled "Head To Toe." As they join us to perform their smash,

let's make some big noise, gang for-- Lisa Lisa And Cult Jam!

"Head To Toe" - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam

(May/June 1987. highest chart pos.
#1 Hot 100/#1 Cash Box/#1 R&B)

You already met Company B and Lisa Velez of Cult Jam. Now

please welcome to the show three more extraordinary canaries. 

CLICK TO START VIDEO! 

They're the trio responsible for the

Shady Train theme song "TSOP

(The Sound Of Philadelphia)."

As they join us to do their latest

single on the Philadelphia Inter-

national label, another big hit

entitled "When Will I See You

Again," let's get some hands to-

gether for-- The Three Degrees!

"When Will I See You Again" - The Three Degrees

(Nov./Dec 1974, highest chart pos. #1 Cash Box/#2 Hot 100/#4 R&B)

START VIDEO! 

And that's just

half the ride.

Stick around for

more super soul

sounds when

Shady Train

continues right

after this. 

And right now let's welcome aboard

those talented young men who are

responsible for that wonderful

sound that's been driving the

Shady Train gang out of

their minds of late and

making them shout'--

"Can't get enough

of that funky stuff." 

CLICK TO START

VIDEO NOW! 

Representing the De-Lite record label, the mighty-- Kool And The Gang!

"Funky Stuff" - Kool And The Gang

(Sept./Oct. 1973, highest chart pos. #5 R&B/#29 Hot 100)

And we're delighted to welcome

back for her second appearance

on the Train one of our favorite

ladies and a great talent as well. 

START VIDEO! 

She burst onto the scene with the

hit "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On,"

and since then she's been rackin'

'em back, and that ain't no fiction,

baby, it's a natural fact. As she

joins us do her latest single on

the Tabu label entitled "You

Look Good To Me," give it up,

gang, for the fabulous- Cherrelle!

"You Look Good To Me" - Cherrelle

(Oct./Nov.Dec. 1985, highest chart pos. #26 R&B)

And look out now, don't

hurt yourself. It's the world

famous Shady Train gang...

the Shady Train line, They're

out on the floor yellin' for more.

START VIDEO! 

Looks like they've got a bad

case of Saturday Night Fever

on a Saturday morning. It's the

disco sound of the Bee Gees

and-- "You Should Be Dancing!"

"You Should Be Dancing" - Bee Gees

(July/Aug. 1976, highest chart po. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box,

from OST of Dec. 1977 film Saturday Night Fever)

And if that don't do it for

you, nothing ever will.

We hope you'll get

into it with us again

next time when we

pop open another

six pack and toss in

an extra cool one

for good measure.

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW! 

 

You can bet your last money, it's all gonna be a stone gas,

honey. I'm Don Cornelius, and as always in parting,

we wish you love... peace... and soul!

"TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" - MFSB

(Theme from Soul Train feat. The Three Degrees)

(Mar./Apr. 1974, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box & R&B) 

Honoring Margaret on Her 110th Birthday

"A rose by
any other
name..."

This is an

important

date on the

Shady Dell

calendar.

Our dear friend

Margaret Schneider

...who for years inspired us as

"The Oldest Living Dell Rat"

...was born April 18, 1912,

110 years ago today.

Margaret's father built the

Shady Dell and the family

became its first occupants

when Margaret (right)

was one year old.

To celebrate Margaret's

birthday this year,

I posted five songs

I think she'd enjoy.

Maybe she listened

to some of these

in her early years.

THE SHOUT SISTERS 

I introduced The Shout Sisters last May on the anniversary of Margaret's death.

As you recall, The Shout Sisters - Louise Messenger, Noelle Davies-Brock &

Elise Roth - are Australian jazz singers who relocated to London. The three-

part close harmony vocal group pays musical tribute to The Boswell Sisters

and other girl groups of the early and mid 20th century. Watch and listen

as The Shout Sisters cover "Near You", a 1947 tune by Francis Craig

& Kermit Goell, and add a spooky twist reminiscent of The Shining. 

"Near You" - The Shout Sisters (Oct. 2020) 

THE ROSS SISTERS 

Now meet three Texas-born sisters - stage names Maggie Ross,

Aggie Ross and Elmira Ross. Billed as The Ross Sisters. the

siblings enjoyed moderate success in show biz in the 1940s.

In this scene from the 1944 musical Broadway Rhythm, The Ross Sisters

earn their reputation as "human pretzels" performing the creative, energetic,

acrobatic, contortionist song and dance routine-- "Solid Potato Salad." 

"Solid Potato Salad" - The Ross Sisters

 (scene from Apr. 1944 film Broadway Rhythm) 

THE DINNING SISTERS

  

The Kansas-born, Oklahoma raised Dinning Sisters - "Lou" Dinning,

Jean Dinning and "Ginger" Dinning, were Capitol Records' answer

to The Andrews Sisters. The Dinnings have also been compared

to The Lennon Sisters. The siblings traveled to Chicago and

became the highest paid radio act in the Windy City.  

As we watch these scenes from the

1939 Cary Grant - Carole Lombard

romantic drama film In Name Only,

listen to The Dinning Sisters' 1943

recording of a song introduced in the

1936 musical comedy Swing Time,

and notably waxed in 1956 by the

LA doo-wop quartet The Jaguars

and in 1961 by The Lettermen--

"The Way You Look Tonight." 

"The Way You Look Tonight"

The Dinning Sisters (recorded

1943, from 1945 album Songs

By The Dinning Sisters, scenes

from 1939, film In Name Only) 

GLENN MILLER

AND HIS ORCHESTRA

I think Margaret would enjoy the following scene from the 1941 movie

Sun Valley Serenade. Watch and listen as Glenn Mller and his orchestra

delight the crowd of nightclub dancers with the big band-era jazz

standard Miller and his musicians recorded and made popular--

"In The Mood." 

"In The Mood" - Glenn Miller And His Orchestra

(from Aug. 1941 film Sun Valley Serenade) 

LINDSEY STIRLING 

Finally, here's one of the 21st century’s most innovative stars -

electronic violinist, songwriter, dancer and artist Lindsey Stirling

of Phoenix, Arizona. Lindsey's groundbreaking vision of cinematic

violin-driven electronic music has gained her millions of adoring

fans worldwide and four chart-topping albums. Experience the

wonder of "Masquerade," a song and official music video

from Lindsey's 5th studio album, Artemis. 

"Masquerade" - Lindsey Stirling

(July 2021 single & video from

Sept. 2019, album Artemis) 

Happy 110th birthday, dear Margaret.

We love you and miss you!

A to Z Challenge (Alexis to Alice to Astrid to Zoe) : A Walk To Remember (Thanks to Mandy Moore!)

COLD OPEN:

CLICK TO PLAY THE VIDEO NOW!

"(If You) Love Me Just A Little" - La La

(1986 single) 

From Queens, New York, that was singer/songwriter La Forrest 'La La' Cope

with "(If You) Love Me Just A Little," a 1986 dance single that captures

the sound of Rufus And Chaka Khan, the R&B girl group Klymaxx,

the S.O.S. Band, the Minneapolis Sound founded by Prince and

the 80s output of Janet Jackson. La La is credited with writing

the Whitney Houston hit "You Give Good Love," a song

released on Whitney's self-titled 1985 debut album. 

Hello and welcome to a sneak preview

of the A to Z Challenge, a new series

beginning next April here at Shady's

Place. In our version, A to Z stands

for Alexis to Alice To Astrid to Zoe.

We invite you to play along!

I'm Alexis Wright

...the personal assistant to leading man

Michael Holloway on the psychological

thriller Netflix television series Gypsy

that stars Naomi Watts. Joining me

in this April Challenge are three

other up-and-coming starlets

from popular TV shows. 

Rules of the A to Z Challenge:

* Taking turns, players advance through the alphabet from A to Z. Each player

must pick a music artist whose name begins with the corresponding letter and

play a song by that artist. No songs may be repeated in later rounds. 

* Players are awarded 10 points for naming an appropriate artist and playing a song. 

They can pick up bonus points for selecting specific types of songs, such as songs

with numbers in the title, or by picking artists with numbers in their name. There

are other ways to win extra points and they will be explained as we go along.

For example, if I had landed on the letter "L" and played that song by

"La La," I would have been awarded 10 extra points because both

parts of the artist's name begin with "L."

* When a player lands on the letter "Q," "U," "X" or "Z," she may choose to opt out

and play a song with a number in the title or artist's name. If she exercises that option,

she still receives her 10 point credit plus bonus points if multiple numbers are involved.

* 7 songs are played in each round of the game, meaning that three of the players will

get two song picks and two chances to score points, while the 4th contestant gets only

one song pick and one chance to score points. This, of course, is unfair, but remember

that this is only an exhibition round to demonstrate how the game is played.

More players will be joining when the game officially begins next year.

The A to Z Challenge continues now

as I introduce the next player - Alice!

Hi, I'm Alice Charles...

Payton Hobart's girlfriend on the Netflix comedy-drama series The Politician.

In this sneak preview of the A to Z, we're skipping around to various letters

of the alphabet to show you how the game is played and won. Let's say it

was my turn and I landed on the letter "R." I could score 10 points by

picking an "R" name artist, plus 10 bonus points if the song title

contains a number. Here's an example, composer, arranger and

 bandleader Nelson Riddle and his popular instrumental theme

of the early 60s adventure crime drama TV series Route 66

starring Martin Milner and George Maharis.

"Route 66 Theme" - Nelson Riddle

(June thru Aug. 1962, highest chart pos. #30 Hot 100/#40 Cash Box) 

You just heard a cool instrumental that

most Americans of the pre-Beatles 60s

could have identified in two seconds

flat in a game of Name That Tune -

Nelson Riddle's "Route 66 Theme,"

a top 30 hit in the summer of 1962.

By picking a song with a number

in the title by an "R" name artist,

I scored 10 + 10, a total of 20

points on that play. See?

Okay, now it's time for me to toss

to someone I know all too well,

my co-star on The Politician.

She's trouble with a capital

"T" and her name is Astrid. 

I'm Astrid Sloan

...Payton's rival on The Politician

and not exactly Alice's BFF either.

It's a small world after all...

because I also appeared

with Alexis in her TV

series Gypsy. 

Suppose my letter in the A to Z is

"I." I could grab 10 extra points

by choosing Janis Ian and her

mid 70s chart-topping hit

"At Seventeen." 

"At Seventeen" - Janis Ian

(Aug./Sept. 1975, highest

chart pos. #1 Cash Box,

#1 Adult Contemporary,

#3 Hot 100) 

You just watched folksinger and

songwriter Janis Ian perform one of

her signature songs "At Seventeen,"

 a record that topped the Cash Box

and the Adult Contemporary chart

in late summer of 1975. That's

another number song and

20 points for me! 

Now meet the fourth and final

contestant in the Shady's Place

A to Z Challenge. Her name is Zoe. 

I'm Zoe Baker

...Beth Pearson's cousin and Kevin

Pearson's girlfriend on the hit TV

drama series This Is Us. If you

think I look like Alexis Wright

from Gypsy, you aren't the

only one. I get that a lot...

and so does she.😊

Another way of scoring points in

our version of A to Z is by making

a Six Degrees connection. If, for

example, I landed on the letter "M,"

I could score 30 points by playing

a song by Mandy Moore, the star

of my show This Is Us. In this

scene from the 2002 coming-

of-age romantic film A Walk

to Remember, Mandy covers

"Only Hope," a song first

released in 1999 by the

rock band Switchfoot. 

"Only Hope" - Mandy Moore

(scene from Jan. 2002 film A Walk To Remember) 

That was my beautiful co-star

Mandy Moore back in 2002

performing "Only Hope" in 

her hit movie A Walk to

Remember. By playing

that song, I earned 30

points - 20 for the

double "M" in the

artist's name and

10 more for the

Six Degrees

connection.

Now back to my sista

from another mista -

Alexis - who is ready

with her second song. 

Zoe, if it were my turn to tackle

the letter "M"... I could collect

10 bonus points by choosing

Roger Miller's number song

"Engine Engine #9." 

"Engine Engine #9" 

- Roger Miller

(May/June 1965,

highest chart

pos. #7 Hot 100,

#9 Cash Box) 

That was King of the Road Roger Miller

performing one of his other major hits

in the country-pop category "Engine

Engine #9," a top 10 record in the

spring of 1965 and an additional

20 points in the game for me.

Now here again is Alice. 

Alexis, I'm going to play another

countrified classic, a folk song by

"F" artist Tennessee Ernie Ford.

The single hit number one on

the Country chart and crossed

over to top the pop chart from

Thanksgiving 1955 through

the first week of '56. Here

now is Tennessee Ernie

and another number

song-- "Sixteen Tons." 

"Sixteen Tons" - 

Tennessee Ernie Ford

(Nov./Dec. 1955, highest

chart pos. #1 Hot 100 &

Cash Box & Country) 

You just saw and heard country

& Western music star Tennessee

Ernie Ford performing "Sixteen

Tons," his monster crossover hit

single from the holiday season

of 1955. That pick for the letter

"F" earned me 20 more points

in this exhibition round. 

Now here's Astrid with her

second song and the last

play of the game.

Well "F" you, Alice! You can eat my dust,

baby... because I'm going for the glory

with my final artist and song selection.

If it were my turn to do the letter "T,"

I'd pick Tommy Tutone, the California

based power pop/new wave band, and

their 1982 top 5 hit "867-5309/Jenny."

The play is worth 90 points - 20 points

for the double "T" in the artist's name

and 70 more points for the 7 different

spoken/sung numbers in the song title! 

"867-5309/Jenny" - Tommy Tutone

(Apr/May 1982, highest chart pos.

#4 Hot 100/#5 Cash Box,

#1 Mainstream Rock)

In your face bitches...

I just hit a grand slam - a 90 point play for the win!  

  SCOREBOARD 

  ALEXIS:  40 

     ALICE: 40 

 ASTRID: 110 

         ZOE: 20 

Checking the scoreboard at the end of this exhibition round,

we see that Astrid did indeed win by a landslide after playing

that "Holy Grail" number song by Tommy Tutone. Alexis

and Alice finished tied for second with 40 points each and

I wound up with 20 points but only had one chance to play.

That gives you an idea of how our

A to Z Challenge works.  We hope

you enjoyed the songs the players

 picked for this exhibition round.

Stay tuned. When our series

officially begins next year,

three more players will be

joining the game, the gloves

will come off for real, and

we'll all do our best to score

the most points and win.

For Astrid Sloan, Alice Charles

and my look-alike doppelganger

clone Alexis Wright, this is

Zoe Baker saying so long

and see you next April

for the Shady's Place

A to Z Challenge!