In praise of: The Best Radio You've Never Heard

Musical taste is a very personal and subjective emotion, made more complicated by the fact that, for most people, what you like can be very dependant on your mood at the time.  Something that would be soothing in the morning might grate if listened to in the afternoon.  At least that's the way it works for me: my musical tastes are extremely eclectic but very contingent on how I'm feeling or what I'm doing at the time.  Hence the difficulty I have in saying what my favourite genre or piece is. I love variety as I've got a butterfly mind that flits from one thing to another. And musical variety is the key feature I appreciate in a podcast I've been listening to since around 2006. It's called The Best Radio You Have Never Heard and is produced by Perry Bax in Chicago. 

Each podcast (free to download and released as regular as clockwork twice a month on the 1st and 15th) comprises a compilation of around 90 minutes of intriguingly mixed rock and rock-based songs from an eclectic variety of artists who, in other contexts, might be considered incompatible. Genres, rhythms, moods and artists are seamlessly blended together to produce a mix that I find fascinating - hence the fact that I've downloaded all 202 episodes (a total of around 8 days of solid rock!). BRYHNH includes favourites and new discoveries from both familiar artists and those I would not have come across by any other means. Listening has not only expanded my rock education but also consolidated my high opinion of the giants of the 60s and 70s. Ladies and gentlemen: I can heartedly commend BRYHNH to you. And if you need convincing, here are a couple of track listings.

The current volume: Lover's Leap #202: issued 1st February 2013, featuring an excellent Stones track at #1 and the new Bowie single at #8, about which I'm ambivalent.

1. Midnight Rambler (live) - The Rolling Stones w/ special guest, Mick Taylor.
2. Sway (live) - Alejandro Escovedo.
3. Feeling Brave - Blue Sky Riders.
4. Come And Get Your Love - Roger Daltrey.
5. When Will I See You Again? - Anders Osborne.
6. Cry To The World - Renaissance.
7. Starship Trooper (live) - Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe.
8. Where Are We Now - David Bowie.
9. Rubber Ring (live) - The Smiths.
10. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town (live) - Pearl Jam.
11. The Chain (early) - Fleetwood Mac.
12. Touch Me (alt/early) - The Doors.
13. Bold As Love (early) - Jimi Hendrix Experience.
14. Blind Spirit - The The.

And a classic from the archive (Volume 22: 1st May 2006), The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is one from the back catalogue that I keep returning to.  And not only for Tracks 6, 14 and 17. It's a feast of compare and contrast rock styles: just take a look at the track listing.

1. Good Night Saigon - Billy Joel
2. Red Rain - Peter Gabriel
3. Stan - Eminem
4. Tom Sawyer - Rush
5. Lysistrata - Utopia
6. Tommy Gun - The Clash
7. Accidents Will Happen - Elvis Costello
8. Who's Landing In My Hangar - Human Switchboard
9. You're Gonna Miss me Baby - 13th Floor Elevator
10. Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
11. Babooshka - Kate Bush
12. School - Supertramp
13. Smell Like Team Spirit - Nirvana
14. Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
15. Enter Sandman - Metallica
16. The King will Come - Wishbone Ash
17. The Revolution will Not be Televised - Gil Scott-Heron