Bob and Bill presented their first Year in Review show, which has grown into an annual staple. Bob didn’t name a No. 1, so Bill celebrated Frazey Ford’s “Indian Ocean,” recorded at Royal Studio in Memphis with the Hodges brothers, who were instrumental in the 1970s’ heyday of Al Green and producer Willie Mitchell.
Bob welcomes the return of horse racing to Cincinnati as the iconic River Downs track next to Coney Island is rebranded as Belterra, while Bill salutes Mother’s Day and new Master’s degree recipient, Jane Thompson.
Ahead of the Beale Street Music Festival, Bill talks about his love for Memphis from years of visiting Kate Thompson while she attended college there, while Bob explains his love of horse racing before this week’s Kentucky Derby.
Tim Vonderbrink, Bob and Bill’s former Enquirer colleague, tells the story of the Yardbirds with Jimmy Page playing the 1968 St. Xavier High School prom. This is one of our favorite shows although there are some technical glitches. But the tale is worth the work it takes to listen.
Jim Blase, who owns Shake It Records in Northside with his brother Darren, makes his first appearance on the show to talk about the upcoming Record Store Day. But that was only the second most interesting thing about him that night: He mentioned that he took his mother-in-law to see Bruce Springsteen the week before.
The Cowslingers’ very excellent truckin’ song “Two Ton Load” kicks us off tonight, and we’re all over the proverbial road after that. Bob plays some art-related tunes (whatever that means), and Bill pulls out some of his favorite cover tunes.
Although neither Bob nor Bill were going to see Bruce Springsteen this week, they took time to argue about his best album and talk about the favorite show they had seen him play. Of course, if the Boss had stopped by the studio before the gig, then each of them would have popped for a ticket.
John McCarthy, co-host of WAIF’s “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” joined Bill for an early program less than two months after BS&B debuted. The night featured music from the Jayhawks and solo projects from its two main songwriters, Mark Olson and Gary Louris. This is one of the rare three-hour shows before the boys settled into the 6-8 p.m. time slot on Wednesdays.
There can never be too much of a good thing as tonight’s show proves. Bob and Bill were on for three, count ’em, three glorious hours of musical bliss, and every minute was put to good use. Inspired by “20 Feet from Stardom,” the Academy Award winner for best documentary, they paid tribute to female backup singers, whose work has long gone unacknowledged. And, in anticipation of their upcoming July performance, Bob conducted a mini-Blasters symposium. Not a bad way to spend three hours.
Bill was excited about a night that included Alejandro Escovedo with Peter Buck of R.E.M. opening at the Taft Ballroom, while Marshall Crenshaw and the Bottle Rockets were on stage at the Southgate House Revival.
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