Pure Magic - the Shady Dell Attic: 100+ Years of History and Mystery!

          Having one of those days? Dampened spirits need a lift? You've come to the right place.

                          Spend a little time here at Shady's Place and feel better fast!

Thursday, March 12, 2026

 Saved by the Belle 

 Vol. 3: Way Cool SOLID COLD 

 BEATLES SANDWICH! 



 LADIES 
 AND 
 GENTLEMEN, 

 THE BEATLES!!! 

COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!


"Now And Then" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz  (November 2023)

2ND COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!


"I'm Only Sleeping" - The Beatles
(from June 1966 album Yesterday And Today)

Smile and say "cheese!"
It's time to meet the micest member of
the Shady Bunch Rodentia Intelligentsia! 


 Hi, folks!  I'm... 
 Belle Rat the Dell Rat 
 ...the ladies' answer to Denny the Dell Rat. 

Welcome to my S-P-M-M radio show

 Saved by the Belle 
 The Music and Musings of 
 Belle Rat the Dell Rat 

I'm on a mission to save you from boring elevator music.
I'm no Minnie Mouse, and the tunes I play are not Mickey Mouse.
My show brings you the best and most memorable sounds
from the glory days of your boomer youth.

Volume 3 is a SOLID COLD edition.  Every song
I play on today's show has a cold open aka a cold intro. 


At the top of the show, my favorite band, The Beatles, sang you wide awake
with "I'm Only Sleeping," a great song written primarily by John Lennon
and first released in the U.S. on the 1966 album Yesterday And Today.
You saw a surreal animated video produced to promote the release
in October, 2022, of a remixed and expanded edition of Revolver,
the album that introduced "I'm Only Sleeping" to the rest of the
world apart from North America. Revolver marked the beginning
of The Beatles' psychedelic phase and is considered one of the
greatest, most innovative albums in the history of popular music.

Before that, you saw and heard a sensational cover of  "Now And Then,"
 also known as "the last Beatles song," a single and video released
in November, 2023, by Paul and Ringo, the surviving members
of the legendary band, and containing footage and dubbed
vocals by deceased members John and George.

The cool cover was performed by David A. Rodriguez, a U.S. singer
and musician who looks like Prince and sounds a lot like Beatle
John Lennon. David is "leader" of a one-man band he calls DreamerJazz.


 On his popular YouTube channel, David covers rock, jazz,
sunshine pop and more, but his specialty is doing remarkable
covers of Beatles songs. Today, I'm presenting a few of his best.


The song "Mister Moonlight" was written by Roy Lee Johnson and
first recorded by blues pianist Willie Perryman aka Piano Red aka
Dr. Feelgood. Released at the start of 1962, the single credits the
name of the artist on the label as "Dr. Feelgood And The Interns."


With John Lennon singing lead, The Beatles covered "Mr. Moonlight" on
two 1964 albums,  Beatles For Sale, released in the UK, and Beatles '65,
 issued in the U.S. As you listen to David Rodriguez aka DreamerJazz
perform the song, you might find yourself shouting "John Lennon lives!"


"Mr. Moonlight" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (January  2022)

Is it John Lennon? Is it Memorex?
...or is it David A. Rodriguez?


Answer: C - David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz.


You're boppin' with Belle on S-P-M-M
Rat-ro-sonic Radio... the station with
personality. You've got a rat to rock,
and I'm her, she's me. Count on me
 to pick the best sounds of the 50s,
60s and 70s, those Wonder Years
classics that never grow old.

In this special SOLID COLD edition,
I'm runnin' down the cool cool sound
of The Beatles and Beatles cover artist
and YouTube star David A. Rodriguez.

The Beatles song "Drive My Car"
was penned mainly by Paul, who
also sang the main vocal part.
I'm curious as a cat (EEEK!)
to see and hear what one-man
band David does with the ditty.

Beep Beep, Beep Beep, Yeah!



"Drive My Car" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (May 2021)


(above) single released April, 1965, in Italy 

Written by John Lennon and recorded in the summer of 1964,
"I'm A Loser" was the first Beatles song to directly reflect
the influence of Bob Dylan and country music. "I'm A Loser"
was first released in the UK on the album Beatles For Sale
and later in the U.S. on Beatles '65. Here's another nifty
cover by David Rodriguez - aka - Dreamerjazz!


"I'm A Loser" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (December 2023)


Belle Rat the Dell Rat keeping you company
here on S-P-M-M Rat-ro-sonic Radio.

Baby, it's cold outside... and it's even cooler
in the Shady where I'm serving today's lunch
special - SOLID COLD Beatles sandwich! 




"Ask Me Why," a song
written mainly by Beatle
John, was originally
 released in America
in early 1964 on
Version 2 of the
Vee-Jay album
Introducing...
The Beatles.

Introducing...
David Rodriguez
and his clone quartet
doing their cover of
one of Dave's Beatles
faves-- "Ask Me Why!"


"Ask Me Why" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (March 2020)






"Ask Me Why"...
and I'll tell you a lie.

That was another crazy cool
cover by featured artist David
Rodriguez who plays all four
parts in his fabulous Fab Four
 cover band DreamerJazz.









If you're just tuning in, I'm
your Hostess With the Mostest...
Belle of the ball, leader of the pack,
queen of the Rodentia Intelligentsia...

 Belle Rat 
 the Dell Rat 

... the micest member of the
Shady Bunch deejay team.
Far from mousy, I'm the
pick of the litter - the
prettiest, perkiest and
 most personable
member of the
Rat Pack.

 I'm playing the best tunes in town and telling my rat tails tales
here on S-P-M-M Rat-ro-sonic Radio. My show is called

 Saved by the Belle 

and we're right in the middle of a 10-in-a-row cheddar cheese block party, so let's
get back to the great Beatles songs that formed the soundtrack of our boomer youth.

Our all-Beatles spectacular continues with another
more than capable cover by David Rodriguez.


 In 1962, The Isley Brothers scored a top 20 hit with their cover of
"Twist And Shout," a song originally recorded the previous year
by the little known R&B group The Top Notes.


  In March of 1963, The Beatles released their version in the UK on the album
Please Please Me.  A year later, it was released as a single and soon joined
four other Beatles songs in the top 5 on the U.S. chart. Watch and listen
as DreamerJazz brings us their rendition of-- "Twist And Shout!"


"Twist And Shout" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (May 2022)

 A cover of a cover of a cover, that was David and Dreamerjazz
coming through for me and you with their exciting performance
of the Beatles' version of "Twist And Shout." 



John Lennon once said, "If you were to try to give rock and roll
another name, you might call it Chuck Berry." One of Chuck's
most covered compositions is "Rock And Roll Music," a song
he wrote and recorded in 1957 resulting in a top 10 hit. With
John Lennon on lead vocals, The Beatles covered Chuck's
song and released their version in late 1964 on Beatles
For Sale, the same album that contains "Mr. Moonlight."
Once again, here's David Rodriguez and DreamerJazz
with their rousing cover of "Rock And Roll Music!"


"Rock And Roll Music" - Beatles cover by David A. Rodriguez
aka DreamerJazz (June 2021)

Another fine performance there by Dave and his Doppelganger Doubles,
a cover of The Beatles' version of Chuck Berry's "Rock And Roll Music."



When I was a teenager and felt sad I listened to the Beatles for hours
in my bedroom. They always made me feel happy. To top-off my
Way Cool SOLID COLD Beatles Sandwich, here again are
the real Liverpudlian moptops with two more of my favorites.
From their 1967 EP and LP Magical Mystery Tour released in
late 1967, The Fab Four sing-- "Your Mother Should Know!"


"Your Mother Should Know" - The Beatles
(from Nov. 1967 US album and Dec. 1967 UK EP
Magical Mystery Tour)

Finally, another chart-topping international hit by John, Paul, George & Ringo.


 Written primarily by Paul who sang lead, "Paperback Writer" ushered in
the summer of 1966 as the #1 song in the U.S.,Canada, the UK and several
other countries . It was notably the first song The Beatles wrote and recorded
that wasn't strictly about love. Here are The Beatles and-- 'Paperback Writer."


"Paperback Writer" - The Beatles
(June/July 1966, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box,
#1 Canada/#1 UK/#1 Germany/#1 Scandinavia/#1 Australia)


RATS!!!
Shady's waving me off, so I need
to scurry on home. It's just a hole
in the wall, but the food is good.
I hope you enjoyed my Way Cool
SOLID COLD Beatles Sandwich
 on this special edition of my show

 Saved by 
 the Belle 
 The Music and 
 Musings of 
 Belle Rat 
 the Dell Rat.  


Now this is Belle Rat the Dell Rat reminding you that a Dell Rat
must be brave, and a Dell Rat must behave.  See you next time!






I gotta run
(because
Belle Rat's
hungry)...
but I hope
to see you
next time!

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
 Belle Rat the Dell Rat 
Artwork courtesy of my wonderful longtime friend Belle Unruh.


Born in California's Inland Empire... 


Belle moved to Canada as a teenager.


Thank you very much for contributing these delightful
"Belle Rat" drawings to Shady's Place, dear friend Belle
and, by the way...

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! 

SMOOCHES!

Friday, February 13, 2026

 The AI-Team, Vol 2 

"I pity the fool who don't like these songs!"


 Old School's the Rule 

 In the Battle Against 
 The Anime From Within! 


No, dear friend. That's not a typo in the title at the top of the page.


 Today's post does not focus on The A-Team.

 




It focuses on
The AI-Team...
delightful characters
emerging from the
rapidly expanding
 cutting-edge
technology of
Artificial
Intelligence
art.








Yessum, we're in the middle of an AI boom,
and today's post offers a mix of past and present...


...20th century boomer songs and dazzling
AI art renderings of the 21st century.

  


In a recent post hosted by
Dr. Mary Harris from the
TV series Mary Kills People,
you heard three Mary songs:
"Sweet Mary," "The Wind
Cries Mary" and "Along
Comes Mary."  In this
edition of AI-Team,
Shady Del Knight is
once again going all
girlie on you, playing
ten of his favorite songs
that also have a girl's
name in the title.

To illustrate the theme
of the post, the songs
are accompanied by
modern AI-generated
images of women
and girls.

How many of these
 girl name songs do
you know, remember
or like hearing for
the first time?




Lulu

Our first featured girl song is a real Lulu. Released
at the height of the surf-rock craze, this gem of
the genre swept the nation like a tidal wave.


 Jan And Dean tell the tale of the whale, introducing
the queen of the surfer girls-- "Honolulu Lulu!"


"Honolulu Lulu" - Jan And Dean
(Sept./Oct. 1963, highest chart pos.
#11 Hot 100/#10 Cash Box)


Linda

At the start of that same year, 1963, Jan & Dean released this
next song as their last single in the doo-wop/teen pop vein.


 (The record that followed, the chart-topper  "Surf City,"
firmly established J&D as a hit-making surf-rock duo.)


What an interesting story behind this song! It was written
for a baby girl who went on to fame as Linda McCartney,
the wife of Beatles' dreamboat Paul McCartney!


In 1942, while on a tour of Europe during WWII,
American songwriter Jack Lawrence dedicated
a ditty to Linda Eastman, the one-year-old
daughter of his attorney Lee Eastman.


The song, published in 1946 after Lawrence left the military,
was recorded by several artists, but Jan And Dean's version
is the grabber. Penetrating the top 30 in the spring of '63,
here's the toe-tapping song about-- "l-l, l-l-l, l-l-l-l-Linda!"


"Linda" - Jan And Dean
(Apr./May 1963, highest chart pos.
#26 Cash Box/#28 Hot 100)


Susan

In the mid 60s, American record buyers were going wild
over British bands. To imply that they too came from the UK,
a polished, horn-driven, blue-eyed soul and psychedelic pop
band from Chicago were given the name The Buckinghams.


1967 was the biggest year for The Bucks. All 5 of their top 40
hits charted that year... leading Billboard magazine to name
The Buckinghams "The Most Listened to Band in America."

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's lead singer Dennis Tufano and The Buckinghams with the
last single in the group's 1967 hot streak, a song about-- "Susan!"


"Susan" - The Buckinghams
(Dec. 1967/Jan. 1968, highest chart pos.
#6 Record World/#7 Cash Box,
#11 Billboard/#7 Canada)


Sally #1

Our next girl name song was originally waxed by rock & roll
legend Little Richard. In 1956, Richard's single spent 19 weeks
 atop the R&B chart and brushed the top 5 on the pop survey.


Eight years later, The Beatles, who admired Little Richard
and performed his hits during their concerts, released
a great cover. I found a brilliantly remixed version and
reimagined video for your listening and viewing pleasure.


 From May, 1964, here are The Beatles with Paul McCartney
on lead singing the praises of-- "Long Tall Sally!"


"Long Tall Sally" - The Beatles
(from May 1964 album The Beatles' Long Tall Sally,
rel. as single and reached #1 in Sweden & Denmark
in June, July & August 1964)


Jenny

Rock & Roll titan Little Richard is also the inspiration
behind the next featured girl song. In 1957, Richard's
original entitled "Jenny, Jenny" peaked at #2 on the
R&B chart and went top 10 on the pop survey.


 In late 1965, rock & roll/R&B wildman Mitch Ryder used
"Jenny, Jenny" in a mashup with "See See Rider Blues"
aka "See See Rider" aka "C.C. Rider," a blues song
from the 1920s about a lover who sleeps around.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here are Mitch Ryder and his band The Detroit Wheels on
Hullabaloo doing their top 10 hit-- "Jenny Take A Ride!"


"Jenny Take A Ride!" - Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels
(Jan./Feb. 1966, highest chart pos. #10 Hot 100/#17 Cash Box,
live performance on Jan. 24, 1966, episode of Hullabaloo)


Pam

Now here's another Beatles song with the name of a girl in the title.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

From the September, 1969, album Abbey Road--
"(You should see) Polythene Pam!"


"Polythene Pam" - The Beatles
(from September 1969, album Abbey Road)


Elenor #1

Check out this groovy girl song by The Turtles,
the LA-based psychedelic pop band led by
Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman.


 With deliberately goofy lyrics, the ditty was penned as
a satire of the group's biggest pop hit "Happy Together."


 One of the first pop recordings to utilize the Moog synthesizer,
the Turtles' single had a vibe that listeners couldn't resist
and the record made the top 5 in the fall of 1968.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here are Howard & Mark ("Flo & Eddie") doing
their latest hit live on Kraft Music Hall!


"Elenor" - The Turtles
(Oct./Nov. 1968, highest chart pos. #5 Cash Box,
#6 Hot 100/#4 Canada, Sept. 1968 live perf.
on TV show Kraft Music Hall)

Sally #2

Now here's the second Sally song in today's lineup.  R&B singer
and songwriter Mack Rice wrote and first recorded this ditty
in 1965. Rice's version reached its peak at #15 on the R&B
chart, an achievement that was eclipsed the following year
when gravel-voiced R&B great Wilson Pickett covered it.


 Pickett's record went top 5 on the R&B survey and crossed over
to the pop chart, penetrating the top 20 on Cash Box and the
top 5 in Canada. Pickett's version is also ranked #114 on
my list of The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's "The Wicked Pickett" with a single that made
Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs
 of All Time - "Mustang Sally!"


"Mustang Sally" - Wilson Pickett
(#6 R&B/#16 Cash Box/#23 Hot 100/#4 Canada,
#114 The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell)


Renee

The Left Banke was a baroque psychedelic pop band
based in New York City. Millions of fans across America
and around the globe were saddened when news broke in
 January, 2020, that the group's lead singer, Steve Martin,
later known as Steve Martin Caro, died at the age of 71.


 Martin possessed one of the most beautiful and distinctive
voices in all of pop music, as you will hear as he sings
one of the most evocative songs ever recorded, the
band's debut single, a top 5 hit in the fall of 1966.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here are Steve Martin and The Left Banke with a song regarded as
 the definitive work of the baroque pop genre-- "Walk Away Renee!"


"Walk Away Renee" - The Left Banke
(Oct./Nov. 1966, highest chart pos. #2 Cash Box/#5 Hot 100,
#129 The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell)


Eleanor #2

Earlier, The Turtles paid musical tribute to "Elenor."
To conclude today's show, here's a different girl song
with a different spelling of that same name. Released
along with "Yellow Submarine" on a double A-side
single in August, 1966, from the Beatles' Revolver
album, resulting in two chart-topping worldwide
hits, it's the story of a lonely, ageing spinster
by the name of-- "Eleanor Rigby!"


"Eleanor Rigby" - The Beatles
(#1 UK/#11 Hot 100/#12 Cash Box,
from Aug. 1966 album Revolver)



I hope you liked these girl name songs of the past
and new AI generated images of women and girls.


Meet more enchanting members of

 The AI-Team 

next time, and remember... 


 Old School's the Rule 


 In the Battle Against 
 The Anime From Within! 


 See you next time!