PHIL NEE - July 9th

Today we pay tribute to Kent's all time favorite song, 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' by Procol Harum.  It has been 55 years since that record was first heard around the world.   

In 1992, I had the pleasure to interview Keith Reid on my radio show.  He was a non performing member of the group but went to all of the recording sessions and many of the concerts.  He wrote or co-wrote all of the lyrics for the band up until 2017.   During the interview, which was done to promote the album Prodigal Stranger, we talked about the group's history.

When you look at all the artists who were fortunate enough to have recorded TWO memorable hits, PROCOL HARUM has to leap right up near the top of the list.

Their hits "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" (#3, 1967) and "Conquistador" (#16, 1972) are two of the finest examples we could come up with ... making them BOTH definitely worth another spin here today.  (kk) 

  

Greg Kihn was born on July 10th of 1949.  While the Greg Kihn Band had its biggest hit in 1983 with a song called Jeopardy (#2 Billboard),  I feel that their first hit The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em) was one of the best songs of the 80's.  It only made it to #15 in Billboard, however, it was the song of the Summer of 1981 around here.  

I spoke with Greg in 2013 just after reading Forgotten Hits and the subject was 'goose bump songs'.

 

 

 

I still think that's one of the greatest lines I've ever heard in an interview ... Greg Kihn explaining how his 1981 Hit "The Breakup Song" became a hit all over the world ... "because the lyrics "uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh" translate exactly the same in EVERY language."

Yes, "Jeopardy" may have been the bigger hit ... but I'm with Phil on this one ... my personal favorite has got to be "The Breakup Song!"  (kk)

 

And, of course, you can't do Greg Kihn's version and not do Weird Al's parody!!! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvUZijEuNDQ

You can catch Phil Nee's THOSE WERE THE DAYS radio program tonight … 

and EVERY Saturday Night ... 

on WRCO ... 6 pm – Midnight (Central):  

WRCO AM FM Radio Richland Center Wisconsin   

Just click on the 100.9 headphones and start streaming!