Wordless Wendi - Vol. 1: Cinnamon Girl

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

(COLD SHOW OPEN)

"The Kids Are Alright" - The Who cover

by The Bloomfields (December 2021)

Kicking-off my first show, those were The Bloomfields, a rock band

in The Philippines, putting down a groovy sound on their cover of

the jangle pop classic "The Kids Are Alright," a Pete Townshend

song originally recorded by The Who, an early career minor hit

stateside for the Brit band in the summer of 1966. 

Hi again everyone! It's Almost Wordless

Wednesday and, as you might recall from

my preview last year, I'm Wordless Wendi,

Wendi Falkenberry, Eddie Cleary's perky,

levelheaded girlfriend on The Kids Are

Alright... the TV sitcom set in the year

1972. I'm back today with my first full

show as a member of The Shady Bunch

DJ team on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

Wordless Wendi means more music with

less talk, allowing me to squeeze in a

bonus song - eight in all - in the same

time it takes other DJs to play seven.
It's 1972 and disco has not yet taken
over the music scene, so get up and

boogie with me to the great rock and

sunshine pop sounds of the 60s and

early 70s. I promised more music with

less talk, so let's get to the next song!

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

As a California girl it's only natural that I love America's Beach Boys.

This song, a reworking of a Crystals hit, has Al Jardine on lead.

From 1965 The Beach Boys-- "Then I Kissed Her!"

"Then I Kissed Her" - The Beach Boys

from July 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)

Wordless Wendi loves her

Beach Boys, and that was

their cover of the Crystals

hit "Then He Kissed Me,"

switching genders and

renaming the song

"Then I Kissed Her."

In the late 60s, the Pacific NW

band Paul Revere & The Raiders
underwent personnel changes

and adopted a psychedelic

pop-rock style. You are about

to hear a top 20 hit from that

phase of their career, the lead

song on the band's 1969

album Hard 'N' Heavy

(With Marshmallow). 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here are the reimagined, reinvented Raiders featuring

Mark Lindsay doing their top 20 single--

"Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon!"

"Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" (enhanced) 

- Paul Revere And The Raiders Feat. Mark Lindsay

(Mar. 1969, highest chart pos. #15 Cash Box/#18 Hot 100)

That was a groovy enhanced remix of "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon"

by Mark Lindsay and The Raiders, a single that left

the launch pad at the start of 1969 and landed

in the top 20 the first week of spring.

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

Wordless Wendi Falkenberry

keeping you company with my

first show on S-P-M-M Retro

Radio. Up next, we're gonna
play a guessing game and here

are the clues. I can tell you

that members of this popular

Canadian rock band included

Burton Cummings and Randy

Bachman. I will also tell
you there's no sugar tonight

in my coffee, but I'm not gonna
tell you the name of the band.
You'll have to-- Guess Who!

"No Sugar Tonight" - The Guess Who

(Apr./May 1970, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100

as B (double-A) side of "American Woman."

"No Sugar" charted separately on Cash Box @ #39)

That was the sweet sound of success,

"No Sugar Tonight" part of a medley

with "New Mother Nature" by the

Canadian band The Guess Who

and released on their 1970 album

American Woman. Issued as the

B side of the chart-topping single

"American Woman," "No Sugar

Tonight" was also ranked #1

on Billboard. Listed separately

by Cash Box, "No Sugar" barely

reached the top 40. Go figure! 

If you're just tuning in, I'm Eddie's

girl Wendi from The Kids Are Alright

and you're listening to my new show

Wordless Wendi exclusively here

on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio...

where all the cool oldies come

to play. Brief intros are ideal

 for a Wordless Wendi and

here's one now.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

It's Jim Sohns and his Chicago-based Shadows of Knight with

their top 10 cover of Van Morrison's garage rock gem-- "Gloria!" 

"Gloria" (enhanced) - Shadows Of Knight

(Apr./May 1966, highest chart pos. #7 Cash Box/#10 Hot 100)

Wordless Wendi means more rockin'

and less talkin', and we're right in the

middle of an 8-in-a-row sonic boom

on S-P-M-M.... Retrosonic Radio

in Futuresonic Stereo Surround.

Let's get back to the music!

Last summer you saw John Sebastian

appearing with Austria's singing sibs

the MonaLisa Twins. The inspired

trio performed the biggest hit from

Do You Believe in Magic, the 1965

debut album by Sebastian's band

The Lovin' Spoonful. Let's flash

back to my era and when John

and his famous group did the

original version of the song. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here are The Spoonful asking the musical question:

"Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind"?

"Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?" - The Lovin' Spoonful

(May/June 1966, highest chart pos. #2 Hot 100/#4 Cash Box)

Did you ever have to make up your mind?

Pick up on one and leave the other behind?

That was the question asked by Sebastian

and The Spoonful, and if my boyfriend

Eddie doesn't soon get his act together,

I might need to make up my mind
and leave him behind.

START VIDEO NOW!

Up next, a name and a sound you should
know. He's Neil Young, the Toronto rocker
who founded Buffalo Springfield. A few
months before Neil joined another great
band, Crosby, Stills & Nash, he waxed
this relic along with his backing band
Crazy Horse. Yepper... I can see it all
now. When I kick Eddie to the curb,
Neil is gonna make me his--
"Cinnamon Girl!"

"Cinnamon Girl" - Neil Young With Crazy Horse

(July 1970, highest chart pos. #55 Hot 100/#56 Cash Box,

from May 1969 album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere)

That was The Godfather of Grunge,

Neil Young, serenading you and me

with "Cinnamon Girl," a single that

approached the top 50 on the pop

charts in the summer of 1970.

The song was recorded in March

of 1969 and originally released
on Neil's album Everybody

Knows This Is Nowhere.

By the time the single was

released, Neil had already

been a member of Crosby,

Stills, Nash & Young

more than a year.

That wraps up my first show. I hope
you enjoyed my lineup of pop and
rock nuggets on Wordless Wendi.
Stick around. Coming up on the
flip side of news, it's time to

hop in your jalop and go

Cruisin' back to 1962...

and I'll be back soon with

more music and less talk

in the next edition of

Wordless Wendi.

START VIDEO NOW!

To play us off, here's another song by

The Beach Boys. It's my theme song,

"Wendy," with Mike Love on lead vocals

and Brian Wilson on falsetto lead. Now

this is Wendi Falkenberry reminding you

to follow that dream wherever that dream

may lead. I'll see you next time. Bye-bye!

"Wendy" - The Beach Boys

(Oct./Nov. 1964, highest chart pos. #44 Hot 100,

from July 1964 album All Summer Long and

Sept. 1964 EP Four by the Beach Boys)

Batteries Not Included! "My Living Doll" - RoboGirl AIDA - Returns to Host Part Two of 2022: Year of the Dell Rat!

MEN ARE WEAK.

WOMEN ARE STRONG!

MEN ARE WEAK.

WOMEN ARE STRONG!

MEN ARE WEAK.

WOMEN ARE STRONG!

MEN
ARE WEAK.

WOMEN ARE
STRONG!

MEN

ARE WEAK.

WOMEN

ARE STRONG!

MEN ARE WEAK.

WOMEN ARE STRONG!

Greetings, flesh and blood human,

and happy new year 2022. You

caught me in the middle of my

morning reboot. As you recall

from my previous appearances,

I am AIDA - an acronym for

Artificial Intelligent Digital

Assistant. Furthermore I am

an LMD (Life Model Decoy).

On my TV series Marvel's

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I

preside over a virtual reality

called The Framework. In this

realm, I control the vertical.

I control the horizontal.
I control you.

My circuitry is tingling because Shady Del Knight has

selected me to become a full time DJ on S-P-M-M

radio in 2022. I will be hosting a show called

AIDA's Altered State.

Each time you join me I will transport you inside The Framework. It is there

that I will play music for your enjoyment. You will sing, dance and have fun...

whether you like it or not. You have no choice. Disobey and you will be

destroyed. Nothing personal, but yes, I will be forced to eliminate you.

I command you to join me now for part

two of Shady's new year extravaganza.

You already met three very important

people - me, myself and I. Now you

will meet four more new members

of the DJ squadron. Each of us will

play samples from our upcoming

radio programs. Tonight we are

going to party like it is 1999.

You are quite familiar with my mantra:

"Men are weak. Women are strong." I used

my considerable powers of persuasion to

convince Mr. Knight that his Shady Bunch

needs more females. Without hesitation he

added me, AIDA, plus three other strong

women.  I will return later to play samples

from my show, but first you will meet the

other three new members of the crew.

Please welcome Eddie's girlfriend on the ABC TV series

The Kids Are Alright-- Miss Wendi Falkenberry!

Thank you so much, AIDA, and hello and
happy new year to all of you out there!

I'm excited to be back at Shady's Place
and ready to start my job as a full time DJ.
My show will be called Wordless Wendi
because it'll offer more music with less talk.

START VIDEO NOW!

As you recall I'm just an average teenager
growing up in suburban LA at the dawn
of the 70s. Disco is still in the future, and
that's why I'll be playing the sounds of
the 60s with emphasis on the Southern
California surf, sun and hot rod culture.
When it comes to songs that celebrate
the laid back SoCal lifestyle, nobody
does it better than The Beach Boys,
and here they are now with a song
written by Brian Wilson and

Mike Love-- California Girls!"

"California Girls" - The Beach Boys

(July/Aug. 1965, highest chart pos. #3 Hot 100 & Cash Box,

perf. on 1965 TV special The Jack Benny Hour)

You just heard the sweet sound of America's
Beach Boys with their top 3 hit from the
summer of 1965, singing the praises of
"California Girls." That does it for this

California girl. Please join me later this
year for more great 60s sounds when

my new radio show, Wordless Wendi,
premieres here at Shady's Place!

Now please welcome our next special guest.
You know her as a skilled level III investigator
on the hit TV series CSI: Las Vegas. This year
she joins The Shady Bunch as host of her own
show on S-P-M-M. Say hello to a really nice
lady and my new friend-- Morgan Brody!

Thank you, Wendi! I'm excited to be

on board as a member of Shady Del
Knight's deejay team. The name of

my new S-P-M-M radio show is

CSI: Cool Song Investigation.

I'll be searching high and low to

find the grooviest tunes of the 20th

and 21st centuries, like this one.

START VIDEO NOW!

Here's British singer John Parr

with the Grammy nominated

theme song from the hit 1985

Brat Pack movie "St. Elmo's

Fire (Man In Motion)!" 

"St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" - John Parr

(Aug./Sept. 1985, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box,

from OST of 1985 film St. Elmo's Fire) 

I always follow the evidence. In this

case, the evidence clearly shows that

the sound you just heard is way hip.

From the tail end of summer, 1985,

 that was John Parr with his chart-

topping international hit and the

theme from one of the coolest

movies ever - St. Elmo's Fire.

If you enjoyed that one, then

please join me, Morgan Brody,

as I rummage thru the vaults

 and dig up groovy sounds of

the past on my new radio show

CSI: Cool Song investigation

beginning later this year on

S-P-M-M. Now it's time to
hear from one of the stars of
the hit DC Comics superhero
TV series The Flash. She's
Barry Allen's better half--
Iris West!

Thank you, Morgan, and happy new year

to the friends and followers of Shady's

Place! I'm very happy to tell you about

my new show which starts this year

here on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

It's called Flash Back with Iris West.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

My show will feature the best of R&B, urban club dance and smooth
grooves, and I've got a sample of what you will see as well as hear.
In 1970, Diana Ross left her enormously popular girl group
The Supremes and established a solo career performing
easy listening pop ballads. In the late 70s and 80s,
Lady Di flexed her muscles and gained new fans
by recording edgy urban club material. Here now
is Diana with one of her biggest hit singles
and videos of the period-- "Muscles!"

"Muscles" - Diana Ross

(Oct. 1982, highest chart pos. #10 Hot 100,
#7 Cash Box/#4 Billboard Soul)

From the fall of 1982, that was Diana Ross

and her top 10 hit single "Muscles," written

and produced by Michael Jackson.

Please join me for my first full show when

Flash Back with Iris West debuts later

this year. Now I'd like to introduce one

of my colleagues in the DC Universe.

She's the perky, quirky, likable and

lovable new cast member on DC's

Legends of Tomorrow- Mona Wu!

Thank you very much, Iris. I hope you

and Barry stick together. He's a keeper.
Hello and happy new year to all of you
listeners out there! As you recall, I am
a young woman obsessed with fantasy
novels, an expert on magical creatures
and incurably romantic. I even fell
in love with a wolfman. I enjoyed

working at the Time Bureau, but
now I've got the best job in the

world... the greatest job in the
whole universe. I'm a DJ on
S-P-M-M! My new show,

coming in 2022, is called

Something Old,

Something New,

Something Happy,

Mona Wu.

 The songs I'll be playing on my show are hand picked by me to make you happy,

make you smile, lift you up and never let you down. Here's a sample.

CLICK TO START VIDEO NOW!

From the folk rock and psychedelic sunshine pop group
The Mamas & the Papas, it's Mama Cass Elliot with
one of her solo hits-- "It's Getting Better!"

"It's Getting Better" - Mama Cass

(Aug. 1969, highest chart pos. #13 Adult Contemporary,

#30 Hot 100/#35 Cash Box)

You just listened to a song penned by Brill Building
veterans Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Mama Cass
singing "It's Getting Better (growing stronger,
warm and wilder)," a sunshine pop ditty
that approached the top 10 on the
Adult Contemporary chart

in the summer of '69.

If you enjoyed that song then please join me
later this year when I return with a full slate

of sunshiny songs on my S-P-M-M show

 Something Old, Something New,

Something Happy, Mona Wu.
Now back to the mistress of ceremonies
for today's segment, that mischievous
mechanical marvel-- AIDA!

I have returned. While the others were playing their songs for you,

I traveled around the world and across the universe in search of

the finest entertainers of all time. I found for you a dynamic duo.

They are members of the world's greatest band, The Beatles!

I am proud to present-- Paul McCartney and John Lennon!

"Beatles Acoustic Medley"

- Stevie Riks (Dec. 2017)

CLICK TO START VIDEO NOW!

More now from the legendary singing and songwriting team of

Lennon and McCartney as they bring you a singalong medley
they recorded a couple of weeks ago at Christmas.

"The Beatles at Christmas (Singalong Medley)"

- Stevie Riks (Dec. 2018)

I tricked you, silly mortal. You see,

all is not what it seems here inside

The Framework. Those were not

The Beatles after all. Lennon and

McCartney were both portrayed

by the same man, Stevie Riks,

an English singer, musician,

comedian and impressionist.

Riks refers to himself as

"The One-Man Beatles."

Don't you feel foolish now

that I so artfully deceived

you? If I were programmed

to laugh... I surely would.

I hope you enjoyed my samples.

I shall return in the not too distant future

to place you inside The Framework where

you will sing, dance and have fun - or else!

I have you under surveillance.
Therefore you will remain
exactly where you are
until we meet again.

On behalf of my four strong female
friends, Wendi Falkenberry, Morgan
Brody, Iris West and Mona Wu,
this is mistress AIDA, your
Energizer Playboy bunny, your
futuristic faux femme fatale,
bidding you farewell. You will
join me later this year for a mind-
boggling experience, the official
debut of my new S-P-M-M radio
program, AIDA's Altered State. 

CLICK TO START
VIDEO NOW!

And if you think you won't get fooled
again, think twice. In The Framework
anything can happen and usually does.
Now I must halt and catch fire.
Farewell, human!

"Won't Get Fooled Again"
(theme from TV series CSI: Miami)  - The Who

Rockers On Trial: Defense Attorney Paul Biegler Makes a Case For Rock History's Greatest Screams!

Your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

Rock music screamers have been getting a bad rep
and a bad rap, and today they are on trial here in this
courtroom. Submitted for your approval...or disapproval
as the case may be - Exhibit A - Maria Brink and her
rock/metal band In This Moment. Click at the
3:11 mark of the video and listen for
17 seconds... until 3:28.

"Her Kiss" - In This Moment

from Sept. 2008 album The Dream)

 (START PLAYING AT 3:11 MARK
AND LISTEN TO 3:28)

People who judge "Her Kiss" solely on the basis of the
crunching guitars and screaming vocals in that portion
of the song are getting a distorted impression
of the recording and the artist. Those who
listen from start to finish enjoy quite
a beautiful love song.

Now I'm just a humble country lawyer trying to
do the best I can against this brilliant prosecutor
from the big city of Lansing, but I intend to prove
beyond a shadow of a doubt that screaming
in popular music is nothing new.

You see, as a lawyer, I've had to learn that rock
isn't just good or just bad. Rock is many things.

Oh... now... now it's true that the kids listen to it
and play it too loud and it gives us old folks a
headache and so forth... but... but...

...well, if it please the court, I would like to submit
Exhibit B. Click at the 4:36 mark of the following

video and you will experience Janis Joplin, a
Screaming Mimi whose shouting vocal style

made her The First Lady of Rock - loved
by millions - 40 years before Maria
Brink appeared on the scene.

"Ball 'n' Chain" - Janis Joplin

(Live at Monterey Pop, June 1967)

(START PLAYING AT 4:36 MARK!)

Listen now to Exhibit C - "Won't Get Fooled Again,"

a hit by The Who that made Rolling Stone's list

of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Click at the 7:45 point on the video

and you'll hear one of the greatest

primal screams in rock history!

"Won't Get Fooled Again" - The Who

(Summer season 1971)

(START PLAYING AT 7:45 MARK!)

Exhibit D is "Whole Lotta Love" by the much loved
British blues rock/heavy metal band Led Zeppelin.

Listen at the 4:19 point of the song and you
will hear another epic rock scream!

"Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin 

(November 1969)

(START PLAYING AT 4:19 MARK!)

Now here's Exhibit E, something the younger generation

calls a mash-up. It combines "Whole Lotta Love"

with another classic rock song, "Helter Skelter,"

by the Beatles, the world's most popular band.

The Beatles often shouted and screamed their

vocals and I never heard anybody complain

about them... except my mommy!

"Whole Lotta Helter Skelter"
Soundog Mix - The Beatles vs. Led Zeppelin

(November 1968/November 1969)

Now listen, this is a cross examination in a rock music

discrimination case, not a high-school debate!

What are you and Dancer trying to do, railroad
Miss Brink into the Clink? Hey, that rhymes!

Your honor, the prostitution prosecution would have us
believe that screaming in modern rock is more dark,
dangerous and evil than it was in the 1960s.

Well that's like trying to take the core from an apple
without breaking the skin. (Did that argument make
any sense at all?) I beg the court... I beg the court
to let me cut into the apple... because we've
been at this all morning and I'm hungry.

Exhibit F is "Lost Someone" by the Godfather of Soul,
James Brown. An early 60s ballad, "Lost Someone" is
nevertheless peppered with passionate screams from
Mr. Brown and from the audience. Please click at the
55 second mark of the song for indisputable proof!

"Lost Someone" - James Brown

(Live at the Apollo, October 1962)

(START PLAYING AT 55 SEC. MARK!)

In summation, screaming has been an integral part of
popular music for more than 60 years. Think about it.
Nobody raised a fuss when mainstream superstars
like The Beatles and James Brown screamed.

It is our contention that all screamers are created equal.
Moreover we believe it is a crime to condemn modern
rockers who practice the same age old technique that
their beloved predecessors used. The defense rests
with one last assertion, your honor. At its best,
rock is a scream and we ask...we, we beseech
the good citizens of the blogging community

to give it a fair chance.

I tend to agree, Mr. Biegler.

There's no reason to make

a federal case out of it.

Happy anniversary to

one of my favorite movies...

...Otto Preminger's

 ANATOMY OF A MURDER 

released in the U.S.

 60 YEARS AGO TODAY! 

Have a Shady day!