WFMU: Michael Shelley: Playlist from February 4, 2017

Listener comments!
	11:01am Listener Baby: Baby, good morning! The world, in all it's glory and confusion, is yours. Make it a better day by doing what you do so well. Good morning to all listeners.
	11:03am mauri: hey! still on the top of the chart!
	11:03am davefromtoronto: wtf? mornin mike!
	11:03am pp: gotta get you a cuervo
	11:04am dpk: outstanding cover of a lifetime favorite!
	11:06am Mark in Toronto: No, a cerveza!
	11:06am Brian C.: Good morning from 07042
	11:07am Clarke: mawnin' ya'll...
	11:09am Clarke: i guess start at the top?? best opening band i have ever seen was when Cheap Trick blew KISS away - municipal auditorium, nola, 1975
	11:11am scott: In '77, I drove 70 miles to see Quicksilver; Bloodrock was the opening band. Glad I was late, though did see them do DOA live.
	11:12am Tidepoolbay: Chuck Berry Opening for Cheap Trick 1982. Stevie Ray Vaughan opening for Robert Plant 1987.
	11:12am Michael Shelley: 07042!
	11:12am Clarke: the flipside of DOA is actually not bad
	11:13am Tom the chef: Strawberry Letter 23, the best song ever?
	11:13am Listener Baby: I've seen countless concerts, yet a good opening band is just not coming to me. Bad ones are clouding my memory. Phoebe Snow opening for Paul Simon is an example of a quality opening act, but I don't remember much of her set? I'm sure she was really good. I was 12 years old.
	11:14am Melissa Jean: mornin!
	11:15am Tidepoolbay: Clarence Gatemouth Brown opened for Eric Clapton in 1996. Both artists were great!
	11:15am Listener Baby: Often, you see a good opening act at a huge outdoor festival, and I avoided those my whole life. Example, Prince for the Stones, etc..
	11:15am Listener Baby: Ah.. Here's one!! Wall of Voodoo opening for XTC.
	11:16am Clarke: Edgar Broughton Band opening for The Kinks in @'75 was pretty impressive (although not better than the kinks, that night) - it was an artist i had never heard of that made me want to buy their record
	11:16am Jim k: Greatest power poo song ever!!!!
	11:16am SmokinJ: Or Fingerprintz opening for XTC... Shamed em'..
	11:17am Jim k: Pop dammit, pop!
	11:19am Clarke: i know the consensus is that XTC weren't that good, live = but that vid of them on french tv is AMAZING!
	11:19am Jim k: I saw the kinks open for Hall and Oates in the late 70s. Bought the tix solely for the opening act.
	11:20am SmokinJ: Bands are cool, eh? 8-)
	11:21am scott: Their least favorite album is 'War Babies'; it ain't bad. H&O&Utopia
	11:21am Listener Baby: @SmokinJ I saw the Fringerprintz. They were really great.
	11:23am Montmaster J: Never forget Human Sexual Response opening for the Buzzcocks at the Ritz. When the crowd became restless singer growled..."don't worry you'll get your cocks buzzed!"
	11:23am SmokinJ: @ Listener Baby I was SO impressed! XTC Rocked of course but WOW!
	11:24am Listener Baby: I was there too, Baby
	11:24am Tidepoolbay: 38 Special opened for Night Ranger and kicked ass. Night Ranger were terrible.
	11:25am SmokinJ: I still have my mint LP and it sounds still impressive.
	11:25am Robbie White: I saw the Rubinoos open for Elvis Costello on his Armed Forces tour. I had never heard of then & they were GREAT
	11:26am Clarke: wow - rubinoos is big wampum!!!
	11:26am Clancey: Black joe Luis and the honey bears opened for trombone shorty at terminal 5. They had a sound that could turn goats piss into gasoline.
	11:26am mark: I saw U2 open for The J. Geils band in LA in 1982. I had heard of them but they were, at that time, small and J. Geils were huge.
	11:26am Listener Baby: Baby, I saw the Innocence Mission open for Emmylou Harris. I had heard of them, but knew nothing about them. They were impressive.
	11:26am Tidepoolbay: The La's opened for Elvis Costello and the La's were really good. Elvis was very good as well.
	11:26am Bill Amundson: I saw Green open for the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Shubas in Chicago and became an obsessed fan immediately.
	11:27am Stevel: The Replacements opened for The Damned and completely blew them away, circa 1982. Unforgettable. As a consolation, people heavily gobbed The Damned, including when Capt.Sensible encored in his jockey shorts.
	11:27am Listener Paul: In 1984 I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn at the Asbury Park Convention Center as the opening act on a triple bill with Marshall Crenshaw and Dave Edmunds. Just fantastic.
	11:28am Private Presley: 90s teen me saw Fountains of Wayne open for Smashing Pumpkins at MSG. Never heard em before but couldn't get "Radiation Vibe" out of my head for days.
	11:28am Listener Baby: Holy cow Paul.
	11:28am davefromtoronto: i saw the beatles open for roy orbison. they were pretty good! also saw mozart open for beethoven. beethoven wouldn't let him have a sound check and he STILL blew him off the stage...
	11:28am Dennis in Oceanside: I saw Nash the Slash open for Gary Numan. Got to hang out after the show with him Just a sweet homesick Brit. Nash preformed a spontaneous covert by himself into a series of Moog Synthesizers. Hugh Soccer fan never heard anything about him again. Thanks
	11:30am Tidepoolbay: Michael Penn & Wilco opened for Sheryl Crow. All acts were great!
	11:31am Bill U: Summer of 1976 - Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City - Ace, one hit wonder "How Long (has this been going on)", opened for Yes. The crowd (20,000+)booed them off the stage. But before they left they had to make a condescending remark, that "you are not our real fans".
	11:32am Richard: Press and hold the ALT key and type the number 0162 to make a cent symbol.
	11:32am Ken in Tucson: Kenny Rankin opened for Bruce Springsteen at Red Rocks in '78.
	11:34am pp: Worst mismatch was John Cougar opening for the Kinks.
	11:35am Ken in Tucson: The Specials opened for The Police at the Rainbow Music Hall in Denver. Guess which was better.
	11:35am Brian C.: Cent Sign = [option] + [4] ¢¢ <— my two cents
	11:36am Listener Baby: Best story ever!
	11:36am Tidepoolbay: John Cougar opened for Heart. Both acts were great!
	11:37am Brian C.: Nash the slash shoutout! I used to love trying to tune in Toronto radio stations
	11:37am mark: I saw Jonathan Richman in a bar in Austin and the audience wouldn't shut up even though he pleaded with them to stop talking during his set. Ruined the show.
	11:38am SmokinJ: That's me! Thanks ms..
	11:38am Uncle Michael: I saw 14Carat Soul open for the Stray Cats and they were terrific.
	11:39am Clarke: not necessarily the 'opening'' band, but i saw a rare live performance of Big Star (the 4-piece version) at this festival in new orleans - they had to go on about 1pm and the PA kept feeding back - but Big Star were amazing! it was then i realized that was the band i had heard on the college radio during the previous week!! (this is a longer story.. shortened for brevity).
	11:40am Ken in Tucson: The Brains ("Money Changes Everything") opened for U2 at the Rainbow in Denver and I wanted more. By the time U2 played "I Will Follow" the second time I knew I hated Bono.
	11:40am Don: In high school back in 1980 or so I went to see J. Geils Band in San Francisco, they put on a great show, but the opener that night was good too. It was U2. Crazy bill for sure.
	11:41am Listener Baby: Jellyfish opening for World Party. It was the original line up of Jellyfish. First record had just come out. They were really great, but saw them a few years later, and they were one of the best live bands I ever saw.
	11:41am SmokinJ: I'll take Geils.. he he
	11:43am Joe R.: Thanks from Wisconsin, Michael!
	11:43am jpuva: My very first concert was Jethro Tull at Madison Square Garden. I was in 8th grade. The opening act was Livingston Taylor solo acoustic and he left the stage after about 3 or 4 songs when someone threw a bottle at him. What a way to start my concert attending career! (John Paul from Sock Monster)
	11:44am Listener Baby: @Ken I saw the "I will follow" twice routine as well.
	11:47am Juke Joint Jonny: The Butera story reminds me of going to see Sam in an Italian wedding hall in Bklyn, and comedy duo Andre and Cirell, of whom I had no idea, were the other act and THEY KILLED! All the hip record collectors we went with to see Sam Butera were crying tears of mirth. So Andre and Cirell is my unexpected great opening act.
	11:47am Clarke: speaking of Tull - Donovan Leitch opened for the later version of Tull (songs from the wood era) - and though i knew his music - was ON FIYAH that night and super-impressed me by playing a great show despite having to open for a kinda not-great band.
	11:48am Uncle Michael: I went to see Buffalo Tom because they were in my area opening for Counting Crows and I have to say Adam Duritz treated Counteing Crows' opening acts like gold. They picked their opening acts, he came out in the opener's t-shirt and personally introduced the band...then he came out into the G.A. floor and stood watching their set. I was "with the band" and had a chance to watch the set and talk to him. I'm agnosti on their music, but he's a very good guy.
	11:48am Brian C.: U2 haters here, understandable, but I imagine they played "I will follow" twice because they had so little material at that point. Slightly off-topic, but the most exciting show I've ever seen was U2 on it's War tour, 1983. Amazing. (not a U2 fan anymore fwiw)
	11:48am Listener Baby: Never saw Peggy. She'd be on my list near the top, Anyone ever see her?
	11:49am Listener Baby: @Brian.. Not hating on U2. I saw their first three tours, and you are correct. Very exciting.
	11:50am Frank Above: David Lee Roth had Kool & The Gang open for Van Halen on one of the recent tours. You would think that would be a major mismatch, but apparently audiences really dug it. The ones that actually showed up to see them, that is.
	11:51am Brian C.: This conversation sure beats the best/worst superb owl halftime shows articles I've been seeing
	11:51am Uncle Michael: I saw Dream Syndicate open for R.E.M. R.E.M. was TERRIBLE...the Dream Syndicate set was good enough that they released it.
	11:52am Don: I am definitely not a U2 fan, at the time though I did think they were going places though...one of the only times I've gotten that right BTW. My memories are that Bono had a puffy shirt and bad 80s hair.
	11:52am Bootsie: I have to say, I LUV Cracker... but don't imagine I could endure even ONE Counting Crows song to get to see them.
	11:52am Jeezy: Woah, Michael... You lost me about the Replacements. "Sorry, Ma," "Let It Be," "Tim," "Pleased To Meet Me," are ALL classics...!
	11:53am SmokinJ: Thin Lizzy blowing U2 away.. The good old days... :)
	11:53am Uncle Michael: I saw Cracker open for the Grateful Dead once.
	11:53am lloyd michigan: Rev. Horton Heat opening for the Cramps was outstanding.
	11:53am ag: I saw the Replacements open for Keith Richards in 88, at the Meadowlands. Hells Angles were at the show in force, and we teen Mats fans were worried how this would go down. Then the Mats come out in three-piece suits, which really worried us. They got booed. But as they played, they got cheers, and none more than when Westerberg said "we might mess this next one up, it's new." Then, 20 secs in, they messed it up. He comes to the mike and says, "we effed it up." Biggest cheer, crowd was theirs from then on.
	11:53am patrick321: I once read maybe in the New Yorker that Slash had "the most favorable talent to success ratio" in all of rock n roll. The same might be said for GnR generally.
	11:54am Listener Baby: If I were a band, I would NOT ask Thin Lizzy to open for me. You'd be bound to get smoked, every time.
	11:54am Brian C.: @Uncle Michael -- funny, I saw that Dream Syndicate/REM tour too. I'd heard great things about DS but did not like them at all. Sounded awful to me. I was an REM fan (embarrassing -- I think I'm losing any cred I ever had!)
	11:54am Bootsie: I saw Living Colour open for the Godfathers at the old Ritz. Both good bands, but an odd pairing for sure.
	11:54am SmokinJ: Dig that Baby! ;-)>
	11:55am Ken in Tucson: My first concert was Leon Russell & the Shelter People, with Freddy King opening. Could have done worse.
	11:55am Mark in Toronto: Did see Marshal Crenshaw open for Dave Edmunds in Toronto, and he was pretty good, with really great sound.
	11:55am Michael Shelley: Jeezy - you are correct, they absolutely are - they just haven't aged well for me, cant put my finger on it
	11:55am Clarke: i was drumming in a band that was on the Counting Crows label - ugh!! and, Uncle Micheal is correct - adam durwitz is VERY VERY nice to the opening acts -- even if the band doesn't want him to support them!!
	11:55am lloyd michigan: Traffic opening for the Dead. One year before Jerry died.
	11:56am Melissa Jean: my pops liked to tell the story of me with a fever trying to point out a big pink bunny in our backyard. hope yer lil lady gets well soon!
	11:57am mark: I saw Sex Pistol Steve Jones' band Chequered Past open for Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. It was kinda surreal because Jean Bouvier of the Plasmatics was in Steven's band.
	11:57am Uncle Michael: Brian, Stipe was drunk and useless the night I saw that tour.
	11:59am Tidepoolbay: Nick Lowe opened for the Cars and kicked Butt!!
	11:59am scott: Around 1976 I saw Frank Zappa at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and the opening act (not band) was Tom Waits - just him and a piano. I think my brother and I knew who he was and he was great, but he got booed off the stage into the 2nd or 3rd song. He didn't go quietly and barked "Eat my shorts, sailor!" as he stalked off the stage. Once at Central Park I went to see the band Morphine and Junior Brown , who I'd never heard of, opened. Totally blown away - the guy's a monster guitar player!
	11:59am Clarke: (although i already knew him) Peter Holsapple opening for REM at The Bayou in baton rouge was EYE-OPENING!
	11:59am Uncle Michael: I saw a GREAT Disciples of Soul show. Bruce had played the same venue a week earlier and hardly anyone showed up for Steve. The crowd was invited to come down from the lawn and fill the reserved seats and they rocked 3000 like it was a show for 20,000.
	12:00pm PJ: @Uncle Michael: I saw Dream Syndicate open for REM at the Beacon, and the Dream Syndicate was incredibly boring, with interminable Karl Precoda guitar solos. Another incredibly boring band was Sonic Youth. The first time I saw them, they played after Fugazi, one of the best live bands at the time (or ever), which didn't help them, but they were so lifeless and without any stage presence (or tunes), that I fell asleep standing up. Many years later, I saw SY open for Wilco, and fell asleep again, this time sitting down.
	12:00pm Bootsie: @lloyd michigan: I bet! Both bands were smokin' live! I saw Cracker & RHH together once also.
	12:00pm lloyd michigan: The Killer!
	12:01pm mark: Micheal Stipe did the whole show sitting on a stool when I saw them with Dream Syndicate. Some injury from being in the ocean that day. He called it his Mel Torme act. He said he "bit the ocean and the ocean bit back.
	12:01pm Uncle Michael: When it comes to seeing music royalty as an opening act, my first concert is hard to top. I saw Steely Dan open for Bread.
	12:03pm Jeezy: @Brian C: There's no shame in being an REM fan in the 80s. They were an incredibly exciting and original band at the time, particularly pre-87. I saw them at the Felt Forum and they were utterly thrilling, with Stipe slowly stripping out of his Mad Hatter outfit the whole time. The Feelies opened and were great, though not as good as a young REM.
	12:03pm Jeezy: @Uncle Michael: WOW.... I've been really getting into the first 3 Bread albums lately...
	12:03pm Stevel: Tommy Stinson has been a professional player since he was 15 or so. Saw him six months ago, playing with his uncle on steel guitar. Great show. Nice, if guarded, guy. It was a pleasure to meet him. I'd photographed the band many times, but I'm sure we never spoke. He was probably 16 the last time I saw him. Now he's a semi-grizzled veteran of rock and roll, able to have gigs pay for the party.
	12:04pm mark: @Jeezy. I love my 80's R.E.M. records.
	12:05pm Mark in Toronto: How about food themed songs?
	12:05pm herb.nyc: I saw 10,000 Maniacs open for (???) at Maxwell's and really enjoyed, not having heard them. How about this: I saw the Decemberists headline at Bowery Ballroom, based only on what I read of them. And I really liked.
	12:06pm Stevel: Oh, if you haven't already, read Trouble Boys. Great book if you're familiar with the Replacements, or not. Bob Mehr did a great job..
	12:06pm Brian C.: @Jeezy thx, now I feel confident enough to mention a fantastic REM opening for English Beat at Buffalo State College, c. '82. The Beat were great too
	12:07pm Michael Shelley: some bands my band has been lucky to have opened for: NRBQ, They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Richman, Rubinoos, Ben Lee, Dinosaur Jr., Marshall Crenshaw, Shonen Knife, The Muffs
	12:07pm lloyd michigan: Best food song: Chicken Song by the Hall Negro Quartet
	12:07pm Ken in Tucson: R.E.M. was great in the early '80s. I'm with Michael, the more I could understand the words, the less I liked them.
	12:08pm Ken in Tucson: Food song: Let's Eat, by Nick Lowe
	12:08pm Clarke: while bob mehr does a great job with Trouble Boys, i would submit that everything i have read about the Mats doesn't get the gist of their live shows -- (in the beginning at least) there would be a moment of utter brilliance in every replacements show - which would make the s-hits-the-fans stuff even more of a dig.
	12:09pm Listener Baby: I was at the famous REM show at Magic Mountain Amusement Part. about 1981. A gig they called their worst ever. It was Spinal Tap and Puppet Show in the flesh. About 6 people there.
	12:11pm Juke Joint Jonny: "Hope you enjoy our new direction."
	12:11pm Mark in Toronto: Let's Eat by The Takeaways (actually Dave Edmunds), Potato Chips by Slim Gaillard, Potato Chip by Shadows of Knight and numerous Hasil Adkins songs
	12:12pm lloyd michigan: This sounds like the theme song to a bad 70s sitcom
	12:12pm Clarke: i was lucky enough to be in the opening act for The Replacements quite a lot (about 27 times) because my band was on Twin Tone, at the time they were on Twin Tone -- they were really nice to us, even if they hated their label
	12:13pm DG: AG: I saw that same show; I also saw them open for Costello at the Garden a few years later. Color me not impressed, but I don't think a big arena is the right place to see them.
	12:13pm Ken in Tucson: Speaking of Bread, how about playing Wreckless Eric's great cover of Guitar Man, Michael?
	12:13pm herb.nyc: A friend saw Chequered Past, mentioned here, and was so very disappointed
	12:13pm Brian C.: 10,000 Maniacs opening for REM at Radio City MH was another great show c. 1988 but maybe not relevant to Mr. Shelley's premise, I already loved REM and the maniacs, having gone to high school with Nat M
	12:14pm Clarke: one of the greatest shows i have EVER seen (including jerry lee) was the Mats the night we opened for them at The Chukker in tuscaloosa - they just surprised themselves and played everything GREAT. and no screwin' around - they could really be the best, when they wanted to be.
	12:15pm Uncle Michael: Speaking of Bread, Ken...the show I saw was in Tucson.
	12:16pm Ken in Tucson: My brother's band Lipstick Gunfighters opened for The Damned once!
	12:16pm Mark in Toronto: Sorry Ken, you're right. I meant Food by The Takeaways, with Dave Edmunds channelling Bob Dylan.
	12:17pm Clarke: i have some good stories about opening for someone who you didn't like, but can't tell them here.
	12:17pm Ken in Tucson: Joe Ely opening for The Blasters in Boulder around '82 was pretty good. He joined them for Bright Lights, Big City.
	12:18pm davefromtoronto: saw squeeze open for elvis costello in toronto. elvis had glenn tilbrook back out for his encore. glenn t said something nice about elvis to the crowd and EC kicked him in the ass!
	12:18pm DG: As a big Edmunds fan, I've never heard of "Food". Where can you get it? Was it a single? (I know "Let's Eat", it's on the "Live Stiffs" album, don't think there's a studio version of it.)
	12:18pm Stevel: Clarke: May I ask what band you were in? The only person I really talked to was Peter Jesperson. Completely agree re early live. Unforgettable shows. Rock and roll at the pinnacle, for me, at least.
	12:18pm Brian C.: A big fan of Athens GA bands, I saw Swimming Pool Qs open for Lou Reed. Don't recall how Lou's show was but I was very underwhelmed by the opener. Didn't believe the hype
	12:19pm Uncle Michael: Food is on the Bunch of Stiffs comp.
	12:20pm myron feld: I have some Wingy 78s I inherited from my father!
	12:20pm Michael Shelley: Clarke - tell but dont use the name
	12:21pm Juke Joint Jonny: Wingy was the best. Impeccable phrasing, whether it's his voice or his horn.
	12:21pm Clarke: that particular act was Charlie Pickett & The Eggs, but prior to that i had been in bands opening for the Mats a few times, too.
	12:22pm Uncle Michael: For the five minutes I was Todd Newman's booking agent, I dealt with Jesperson when he was doing the Medium Cool offshoot Barber's Itch. I didn't enjoy the experience.
	12:24pm DG: In college I was on the concert committee (and later the radio station) & we had some very odd pairings at concerts. Rachel Sweet opening for Jerry Garcia (!), some horrible metal act (TKO, maybe?) opening for the Kinks, this female folk/rock trio opening for Billy Joel (The Deadly Nightshade). At a Good Rats show (people outside NYC/LI: the Rats were a melodic hard rock band who never really made it outside NY), the opening act was this new, very straight-looking band who'd just released their 1st album. One of their songs was "Psycho Killer." The Rats fans were very vocal about how weird they thought they were & kept heckling them, but half the audience (dressed in punk/new wave costumes) clearly liked them.
	12:24pm Clarke: one story i will tell - it is funny (to me). the big dick move of the headlining act was to not strike the drum kit for the opening act - and make them set up down in front - EVEN if you had a road crew who was paid to set up drums and take them down.
	12:25pm DG: Uncle Michael: Thanks!
	12:25pm Uncle Michael: yw
	12:25pm Clarke: so, we were on the bill with Ben Vaughn Combo and both of our bands had to set up drums out front....
	12:26pm BennettCap: Joe won't be playing the Temptations box set from the basement. I took that one when he and I were throwing stuff out.
	12:26pm Listener Baby: @DG. You reminded me of the "richest" concert day of my life. I saw talking heads for free at UCLA, then, drove to Long Beach and saw Peter Gabriel on his first solo tour. Both bands were just unreal. Not sure I ever beat that day of music.
	12:27pm Clarke: so i am friends with the guys of the Combo, and we are all complaining about this big act making us work around their gear
	12:30pm PJ: I saw Charlie Pickett open for someone (The Replacements? Jason and the Scorchers?) at the old 930 Club, and was impressed enough to go out and buy Rte. 33, which was good, but not as good as the live show. Apparently Charlie was a history buff, and remarked that John Wilkes Booth had fled down the alley behind the club after shooting Lincoln.
	12:30pm Clarke: so then, shoot to some time later, we were to open for the ben vaughn combo in philly (their home town) - and we show up to JC Dobbs for soundcheck and find that Lonesome Bob (their drummer) refuses to take down his drum kit and we have to set the drums out front. ha ha ha. in explanation, it was later revealed that bob had to leave soundcheck and go to nyc and come back in time for his set. but, we still cracked up at the irony, there.
	12:32pm chicagah yak: Saw The Cars right as their first album came out open for Dickey Betts in Chicago. Worst mismatch I've ever seen. Beer and whiskey bottles rained on them after a few songs and they fled in terror, but they had to go down the aisle thru the crowd to get to the dressing room. I was there for Betts but I never felt sorrier for an opener.
	12:32pm Greg from ZONE 5: THIS SONG ALL DAY!
	12:32pm Clarke: ha ha, i was the one who showed charlie the spot where boothe mounted his horse - the back of the Ford Theater shares an alley with the old 9:30 Club
	12:33pm scott: Featuring the Hollywood Golden Trio!
	12:34pm Clarke: i think that show we opened for The Gun Club
	12:35pm Ken in Tucson: @DG, I saw the Good Rats open at a tiny club for Felix Pappalardi & Creation (all Japanese guys). I remember them being fun. Singer tossed out rubber rats to the crowd and I kept mine for years!
	12:36pm PJ: I never got to see the Gun Club, so it must have been someone else, but it was a long time ago . . . Google to the rescue - it was Rank and File, whom I had forgotten I had seen, but they were good too!
	12:37pm Clarke: enjoying the music MS!!! i have tons of these stories but some other time, maybe...
	12:37pm Marc15: The horrific Election result has made me realize who my real friends are on Facebook. With only a few anti-Trump posts, I have already lost eight friends. In a way, I'm glad they unfriended me, because I really do not want to be friends with people who support Donald Trump.
	12:37pm lloyd michigan: There are no longer voices like this. (J. Murphy)
	12:38pm Mark in Toronto: @DG: One of those Stiff comps also has an artist named Jill Read doing Maybe, and it's rumoured to be just Dave with his voice sped up. (the backing track is the same as Dave's Maybe). Also are you familiar with Dave covering New York's a Lonely Town, as London's a Lonely Town. Can be found on the Pebbles surf comp.
	12:38pm dk50b: No clue how, but I've lived a charmed life in terms of opening acts. My first concert was The Cars at The Garden in 12/80. In line with what Michael said about being rude to opening acts, I went in thinking you're supposed to hate them. Turned out to be XTC, They blew The Cars away, especially since The Cars didn't move during their show. Next was Squeeze at the Nassau Coliseum 12/24/82. Openers were the English Beat, who I liked at the time, and first up were these guys one of my friends was insane about, R.E.M. Been a huge fan ever since. Maybe the most unexpected was seeing John Cale at the Bottom Line in 1/83, and The Violent Femmes burst on the stage as openers. This was three months before their first album came out, and their trashcan percussion and bashed acoustic bass were unlike anything before or since.
	12:39pm Clarke: ah, that R&F show was later (alejandro already in True Believers by then) - the kinman boys...
	12:40pm lloyd michigan: That election had some negative effects on some of my relationships (facebook and otherwise). Some friends amazed me by backing Trump.
	12:41pm Parq: Anybody know what it is that Ian mumbles at the start of "Stick"? All I can make out is the word "jukebox".
	12:41pm Listener Baby: Theses guys could really play.
	12:41pm Marc15: The same with me Lloyd. I was also surprised who were Trump Supporters
	12:41pm lloyd michigan: @Mark. I have that in my music library. I'll have to give it another listen.
	12:42pm Michael Shelley: dk - I was at that cars show & that Squeeze show
	12:45pm Jimmy Wipper: Who knew that dancing the Hootchie-Koo condemned you to hell?
	12:46pm johnk77: great comments and show today chequered past was not steve jone's band all band members were partners but i road managed them for a few months and steve was never involved with decision-making michael and nigel ran the band w/input from clem
	12:47pm PJ: @Clarke: Memory is a jumble. I saw True Believers open for Los Lobos in 85, and they were fantastic, like a three-guitar version of the Clash (not the later three-guitar ersatz Clash!) I was so disappointed when I finally heard their first record a year or two later, it sucked all the energy out of their music.
	12:48pm lloyd michigan: Speaking of the Clash, am I the only one who loved Big Audio Dynamite?
	12:48pm dale: thought this was big star. it's a super hit nonetheless.
	12:48pm Listener Baby: @Lloyd. I think so?
	12:49pm lloyd michigan: Sad. "Esquerita" is a true number hit.
	12:50pm johnk77: the old 9:30 was a toilet the alley in back was cool w/historic rats and garbage
	12:51pm Clarke: baby baby baby the True Believers were great in the beginning, and the making of that record probably destroyed the brother relationship tweenst the escovidos... they were great live.
	12:53pm Clarke: at least this is what alejandro was intimating in an interview i heard with him, this past october
	12:53pm PJ: B.A.D. had some great songs, though their albums were uneven. I saw them live sometime in the late 80s and they played a great free show at a heavy metal bar in Baltimore called Hammerjacks (one spandex-clad gent evidently showed up on the wrong night), and encored with 1999.
	12:55pm Clarke: opened for NRBQ at hammerjack's - it was one of the sets where i would say we held our own with the headliner that night
	12:55pm Brian C.: Clash fan here. I saw that ersatz-clash lineup. Ugh, springfest or fallfest at SUNY Buffalo, awful. Also saw the clash open for the who, bad sound at a football stadium. Only thing I recall was Strummer & Simmonon switching guitar/bass (for Brand New Cadillac?) by tossing them to each other. I thought that was pretty cool and punk rock. David Johansen opened the show
	12:55pm PJ: I think the B.A.D. and solo Strummer records (which all have their high points) showed how much better those guys were when they worked together than apart.
	12:55pm lloyd michigan: PJ, you're right about uneven albums, but that goes for many, many bands. Saw them in Chicago and they were outstanding. BAD II was not the same.
	12:56pm Clarke: this was with The Incredible Casuals, who opened for the Q pretty much exclusively whenever they toured
	12:56pm lloyd michigan: Saw David J. on my 50th birthday.
	12:57pm Brian C.: re: B.A.D., I remember their use of movie dialog samples was kind of a new thing, I was listening to M+M (née Martha and the Muffins) and they did the same thing but 1-2 years earlier.
	12:57pm Listener Baby: Clarke. Did you do the IC gig in Long Beach opening for the Q?
	12:57pm Clarke: adios ya'll - i wanna wrestle about it!!
	12:58pm lloyd michigan: :)
	12:58pm Clarke: yeah - that was a fun show -
	12:58pm Revolution Rabbit Nov63: Thx DJ MS !
	12:58pm Listener Baby: Nice! I was there.
	12:58pm Brian C.: So Michael, whatja need the ¢ sign for?
	12:59pm Frank Above: xxxx
	12:59pm Bklyn kid: great show!!
	12:59pm Clarke: this was a fun show!!!
	12:59pm lloyd michigan: 5
	12:59pm jpuva: I'll add one. Baby Lee - greatest song of all time
	12:59pm ChrisB.: Hi!
	12:59pm PJ: If anyone has live True Believers stuff from their heyday, get it out there, please

Michael Shelley: Playlist from February 4, 2017

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A showcase for the widest-possible definition of pop music, plus interviews with the world's finest music makers. (Visit homepage.)

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Upcoming events:

Sat. Dec 7th, 11am - 1pm: Andrew Reich, Director of Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story (More info...)
Michael chats with Andrew Reich, director of the new documentary "Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story," which chronicles the 45 year journey of the band's founders, brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald as they persevere through changing musical tastes, record business baloney, drugs, and a kidnapping!

For upcoming special events for Michael Shelley, click here.

February 4, 2017: We Gotta Get You A Woman

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Artist	Track	Album	Label	Year	Format	Comments	Images	New * / Special ***	Approx. start time
Los Cerventes de B.C.	Yo Necesito Que Vuelvas
Fantastics, The	Moving Too Fast "Moving Too Fast" by "Fantastics, The"
Roger Miller	You're Forgetting Me
Shuggie Otis	Strawberry Letter 23
Bola Sete	Voce E Eu "Voce E Eu" by "Bola Sete"
Todd Rundgren	Couldn't I Just Tell You
Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs	I Couldn't Spell !*¢#!
Tennessee Ernie Ford	I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
Dave Lewis	Mmm Mmm Mmm "Mmm Mmm Mmm" by "Dave Lewis"
Francis Macdonald	Sunday Girl (From: Super Hits of the 70s Pure Dyn-O-Mite)
American Revolution, The	Cold Wisconsin Night
James Hand	Cuttin' Down (On My Runnin' Around)
Barbara Lynn	Maybe We Can Slip Away
Peggy Lee	Mohair Sam "Mohair Sam" by "Peggy Lee"
Bash & Pop	On The Rocks "On The Rocks" by "Bash & Pop"
Who, The	La-La-La Lies "La-La-La Lies" by "Who, The"
Jerry Lee Lewis	Mexicali Rose (part 2)
Joe Tex	Yum, Yum, Yum "Yum, Yum, Yum" by "Joe Tex"
Muffs, The	My Crazy Afternoon (demo)
Dino, Desi And Billy	A Certain Sound
Gene Vincent	High On Life "High On Life" by "Gene Vincent"
Lowell Fulsom	It Takes Money "It Takes Money" by "Lowell Fulsom"
Wingy Manone	Shoe Shine Boy "Shoe Shine Boy" by "Wingy Manone"
Thee Headcoatees	When The Night Comes
Pop4	Telephone Line (From: Super Hits of the 70s Pure Dyn-O-Mite)
5th Dimension, The	California Soul
Jimmy Murphy	Electricity "Electricity" by "Jimmy Murphy"
LaVerne Baker	Saved "Saved" by "LaVerne Baker"
Ian Dury and the Blockheads	Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
Sandy Nelson	Expressway to Your Heart
Teenage Fanclub	Baby Lee "Baby Lee" by "Teenage Fanclub"
Cryers, The	Shake It Up (Ain't It Time)
Above, The	Goons "Goons" by "Above, The"
Longmont Potion Castle	Wrestling Match
A False Patriot	I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CLICK HERE to hear from the amazing Bob Washington, the voice of K-Tel

CLICK HERE for a new song titled "People Are Disgusting" from Jonathan Richman

CLICK HERE to listen to a new interview with Jonathan Richman

CLICK HERE to listen to "Musicians fighting Spotify are ‘so f-cking dumb,’ music industry pundit Bob Lefsetz says"

CLICK HERE to read a Mike Love sympathetic piece titled "Beach Boys seek to overcome discord with new wave of Love"

CLICK HERE to listen to a new NPR interview with Brian Wilson

CLICK HERE for an interesting piece about a journalist trying to interview Brian Wilson

CLICK HERE for "Jerry Lewis at 90: His Mouth Runneth Over"

CLICK HERE to read the report on Kippington Lodge's 1967 BBC audition - Includes phrases "painful" & "tone deaf" then CLICK HERE to have a listen & decide for yourself

CLICK HERE for the 1988 piece "Who Does Chuck Berry Think He Is?"

CLICK HERE for "The Truth of the Flamin' Groovies' Story is Stranger Than Fiction"

CLICK HERE for info about the tuning used on Bad Company's "Can't Get Enough"

CLICK HERE to see the March 25th Hot 100 chart - when Happy Together was number one!!

CLICK HERE for detailed Pet Sounds credits

CLICK HERE for a piece on how they come up with radio ratings & Delilha's radio show

CLICK HERE to see a Thought Leader gives a talk on Thought Leadership

CLICK HERE to find out Why Classic Rock Isn’t What It Used To Be

CLICK HERE to find out Why You Can’t Get a Ticket to the NBA Finals … … and every other major event on the planet

CLICK HERE for a great documentary about The Cactus Blossoms

CLICK HERE to hear "How Music Taste Evolved" 

CLICK HERE to check the stats

CLICK HERE for Ringo's isolated drums from "Oh Darling"

CLICK HERE to hear Laura Cantrell in a BBC interview with some woman with a lot of plastic surgery

CLICK HERE to see some paintings by Jonathan Richman

CLICK HERE for "Rob Freeman Recording The Ramones"

CLICK HERE to see The Michael Shelley Band live at WFMU's Monty Hall

CLICK HERE for a free download of The Michael Shelley Band live at WFMU's Monty Hall

CLICK HERE to see Michael Shelley get interviewed on a NJ public access TV show "Destination Montclair"

CLICK HERE if you have the stomach to read Rolling Stone's ridiculous "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time"

CLICK HERE to go "Inside the Strange, Hidden World of Offstage Touring Musicians"

CLICK HERE to watch The Cactus Blossoms live at WFMU April 18, 2015

CLICK HERE to watch James Hunter sing "Somethings Calling" live at WFMU Dec 7, 2015 - just so so so good

CLICK HERE for a nice piece on former guest on this show (and the drummer for The Beatles) Bernard Purdie

CLICK HERE to test your sense of pitch

CLICK HERE to see a BBC Allen Toussaint Documentary

CLICK HERE for a great piece on Esquerita

CLICK HERE for Wilton Felder's so good isolated bass on "I Want You Back"

CLICK HERE for the Glyn Johns interview in Tape Op!

CLICK HERE to find out "Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

CLICK HERE for a cover of a Michael Shelley song!

CLICK HERE for The Cactus Blossoms on The 30 Minute Music Hour

CLICK HERE for info on the new, all instrumental, Michael Shelley album

CLICK HERE for a documentary and discussion of The Columbia House Record Club

CLICK HERE to test yourself and find out "How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?"

CLICK HERE for an article about Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" with files of the isolated tracks to listen to

CLICK HERE to see actual AFM contracts for some legendary recording sessions

CLICK HERE to read Carol Kaye review of the book "The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret" or CLICK HERE to read Carol's review of The Hoover Linx Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner, BH50010

CLICK HERE to see part one of a short behind the scenes film about Brian Wilson's new album "No Pier Pressure"

CLICK HERE for Brian Wilson's new song "The Right Time" (feat. Al Jardine) live on SoundStage. and

CLICK HERE for "Wild Honey" feat. Blondie Chaplin & Ricky Fataar

CLICK HERE for a great 2012 Rolling Stone piece about the 2012 Beach Boys reunion

CLICK HERE for a great piece on Better Records, whcih sells old lp pressings that sell for astronomical prices, e.g: The Police’s Synchronicity: $350

CLICK HERE for "It Sure Seems Like Neil Young’s Pono Player Is Bullshit"

CLICK HERE for "Why Cds May Actually Sound Better Than Vinyl"

CLICK HERE to create never ending always changing loops of a music files you upload

CLICK HERE for Gay Robot

CLICK HERE for PopSpots: exact locations of album cover photos and other visuals of pop history - tracked down with an obsessive level of research

CLICK HERE for 1971 tapes of Bob Dylan getting rightfully testy with A.J. Weberman (who used to go through and sell Dylan's garbage)

CLICK HERE for "Mind-Blowing Six Song Country Mashup" - which, if it is real, is pretty mind blowing

CLICK HEREfor the answer to the question "Do Coat Hangers Sound As Good Monster Cables?"

CLICK HERE to watch Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets or CLICK HERE to listen

CLICK HERE to watch Nick Lowe & Lost Straightjjackets live!

CLICK HERE for the genius school teacher who wore the same outfit for yearbook pictures for 40 years

CLICK HERE Foo Fighters with Rick Nielsen doing "Stiff Competition" on David Letterman

CLICK HERE for the preview of the new WFMU documentary "Sex And Broacasting"

CLICK HERE for a piece about mastering that says that sometimes mastering recordings makes them worse

CLICK HERE for The K-Tel Story

CLICK HERE for Ock TV

CLICK HERE to see "Triumph Watches The World Cup, Part 1"

CLICK HERE for something odd: on the website of session guitarist Jay Graydon (he plays the guitar solo on Steely Dan's "Peg") he lists playing guitar on Cheap Trick's studio version of "I Want You To Want Me" among his 1977 credits.

CLICK HERE for some audio Illusions - "Can You Trust Your Ears"?

CLICK HERE for optical illusions

CLICK HERE for a short film of two craftsmen at work

CLICK HERE to play Name That Drum Fill

CLICK HERE to read "Phish Has Been a Band for Thirty Years Now and They Have Sucked the Whole Time" and then CLICK HERE to read "This Is What Happens When You Make Fun Of Phish On The Internet"

CLICK HERE for the story of Be Bop Deluxe's Bill Nelson and how he says his record label ripped him off

CLICK HERE to read about a recent Jerry Lewis show

CLICK HERE for the new release of 5 Style 1996 live on WFMU

CLICK HERE for proof that Michael Nesmith is a nut

CLICK HERE to see some wise asses I'm a fan of

CLICK HERE to hear Bernard Prurdie talk about all kinds of things - including saying "Ringo's not on anything"

CLICK HERE for a film excerpt "Session Men - Memphis"

CLICK HERE for a laugh

CLICK HERE for Ronee Blakley singing "Tapedeck in His Tractor" from "Nashville"

CLICK HERE to play the web Theremin

CLICK HERE to see drummer Joff from the band Bucky so some drawings of old people

CLICK HERE if you want see a lady call for President Obama's execution. My mind keeps returning to his video and what it means about how screwed up our county is.

CLICK HERE for wrong from the get go NPR blog "The Worst Songs Of All Time?"

CLICK HERE for the website of the guy who shot Bigfoot

CLICK HERE to see why the cowardly anonymous culture of the internet drives me even more crazy then art does

CLICK HERE for a little background on the Buddy Rich tapes

CLICK HERE for the The Knack - this clip (with hard panned guitars) will help you understand the division of guitar parts in this song - which is not quite what I thought it was

CLICK HERE then click "Random Video"

CLICK HERE for a grammar test

CLICK HERE for Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee

CLICK HERE for a reminder that you have to be 恋のホワン・ホワン (or HERE, or HERE , or HERE , or HERE, or HERE!)

CLICK HERE for info on an odd e-book "Nick Lowe: A Long Career That Never Gets Stale." It is 4 pages long and "sells" for $1.99. The same author has one about Dean Martin that was reviewed like this: "This pamphlet was complete gargbage. A sixth grader could have written a better essay. All of this author's works should be removed from Amazon."

CLICK HERE, but only if you have golden ears

CLICK HERE for some amazing RARE STAX MUSIC from tapes Robert Gordon pulled out of the debris when the STAX building was being torn down!

CLICK HERE for STAX at The White House

CLICK HERE for Ernie Bushmiller illustrated autobiography, on an amazing website

CLICK HERE for The Mills Brothers

CLICK HERE for James Jamerson & Gladys Knight going nuts on I Heard It Through The Grapevine

CLICK HERE for info on Fake Amps!

CLICK HERE for a PDF of who plays what on Everly Brothers recordings.

CLICK HERE for a nice piece about the the L.A. studio musicians who dominated the 70's sound.

I love THESE Beach Boy videos!

CLICK HERE for some classic Jerry. The whole clip is crazy - but 2:13 in is really off the charts nuts.

CLICK HERE for Paul Anka's famous post-gig turned into a short film!

CLICK HERE for an recent Montclair Times article on Michael Shelley!

CLICK HERE to read how Big Star's "September Gurls" was recorded at Ardent Studios

Apparently Bowie offered "Golden Years" to Elvis Presley - but The King declined. CLICK HERE former guest Stevie Riks nails the Elvis/Bowie duet version.

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Listener comments!
	11:01am Listener Baby: Baby, good morning! The world, in all it's glory and confusion, is yours. Make it a better day by doing what you do so well. Good morning to all listeners.
	11:03am mauri: hey! still on the top of the chart!
	11:03am davefromtoronto: wtf? mornin mike!
	11:03am pp: gotta get you a cuervo
	11:04am dpk: outstanding cover of a lifetime favorite!
	11:06am Mark in Toronto: No, a cerveza!
	11:06am Brian C.: Good morning from 07042
	11:07am Clarke: mawnin' ya'll...
	11:09am Clarke: i guess start at the top?? best opening band i have ever seen was when Cheap Trick blew KISS away - municipal auditorium, nola, 1975
	11:11am scott: In '77, I drove 70 miles to see Quicksilver; Bloodrock was the opening band. Glad I was late, though did see them do DOA live.
	11:12am Tidepoolbay: Chuck Berry Opening for Cheap Trick 1982. Stevie Ray Vaughan opening for Robert Plant 1987.
	11:12am Michael Shelley: 07042!
	11:12am Clarke: the flipside of DOA is actually not bad
	11:13am Tom the chef: Strawberry Letter 23, the best song ever?
	11:13am Listener Baby: I've seen countless concerts, yet a good opening band is just not coming to me. Bad ones are clouding my memory. Phoebe Snow opening for Paul Simon is an example of a quality opening act, but I don't remember much of her set? I'm sure she was really good. I was 12 years old.
	11:14am Melissa Jean: mornin!
	11:15am Tidepoolbay: Clarence Gatemouth Brown opened for Eric Clapton in 1996. Both artists were great!
	11:15am Listener Baby: Often, you see a good opening act at a huge outdoor festival, and I avoided those my whole life. Example, Prince for the Stones, etc..
	11:15am Listener Baby: Ah.. Here's one!! Wall of Voodoo opening for XTC.
	11:16am Clarke: Edgar Broughton Band opening for The Kinks in @'75 was pretty impressive (although not better than the kinks, that night) - it was an artist i had never heard of that made me want to buy their record
	11:16am Jim k: Greatest power poo song ever!!!!
	11:16am SmokinJ: Or Fingerprintz opening for XTC... Shamed em'..
	11:17am Jim k: Pop dammit, pop!
	11:19am Clarke: i know the consensus is that XTC weren't that good, live = but that vid of them on french tv is AMAZING!
	11:19am Jim k: I saw the kinks open for Hall and Oates in the late 70s. Bought the tix solely for the opening act.
	11:20am SmokinJ: Bands are cool, eh? 8-)
	11:21am scott: Their least favorite album is 'War Babies'; it ain't bad. H&O&Utopia
	11:21am Listener Baby: @SmokinJ I saw the Fringerprintz. They were really great.
	11:23am Montmaster J: Never forget Human Sexual Response opening for the Buzzcocks at the Ritz. When the crowd became restless singer growled..."don't worry you'll get your cocks buzzed!"
	11:23am SmokinJ: @ Listener Baby I was SO impressed! XTC Rocked of course but WOW!
	11:24am Listener Baby: I was there too, Baby
	11:24am Tidepoolbay: 38 Special opened for Night Ranger and kicked ass. Night Ranger were terrible.
	11:25am SmokinJ: I still have my mint LP and it sounds still impressive.
	11:25am Robbie White: I saw the Rubinoos open for Elvis Costello on his Armed Forces tour. I had never heard of then & they were GREAT
	11:26am Clarke: wow - rubinoos is big wampum!!!
	11:26am Clancey: Black joe Luis and the honey bears opened for trombone shorty at terminal 5. They had a sound that could turn goats piss into gasoline.
	11:26am mark: I saw U2 open for The J. Geils band in LA in 1982. I had heard of them but they were, at that time, small and J. Geils were huge.
	11:26am Listener Baby: Baby, I saw the Innocence Mission open for Emmylou Harris. I had heard of them, but knew nothing about them. They were impressive.
	11:26am Tidepoolbay: The La's opened for Elvis Costello and the La's were really good. Elvis was very good as well.
	11:26am Bill Amundson: I saw Green open for the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Shubas in Chicago and became an obsessed fan immediately.
	11:27am Stevel: The Replacements opened for The Damned and completely blew them away, circa 1982. Unforgettable. As a consolation, people heavily gobbed The Damned, including when Capt.Sensible encored in his jockey shorts.
	11:27am Listener Paul: In 1984 I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn at the Asbury Park Convention Center as the opening act on a triple bill with Marshall Crenshaw and Dave Edmunds. Just fantastic.
	11:28am Private Presley: 90s teen me saw Fountains of Wayne open for Smashing Pumpkins at MSG. Never heard em before but couldn't get "Radiation Vibe" out of my head for days.
	11:28am Listener Baby: Holy cow Paul.
	11:28am davefromtoronto: i saw the beatles open for roy orbison. they were pretty good! also saw mozart open for beethoven. beethoven wouldn't let him have a sound check and he STILL blew him off the stage...
	11:28am Dennis in Oceanside: I saw Nash the Slash open for Gary Numan. Got to hang out after the show with him Just a sweet homesick Brit. Nash preformed a spontaneous covert by himself into a series of Moog Synthesizers. Hugh Soccer fan never heard anything about him again. Thanks
	11:30am Tidepoolbay: Michael Penn & Wilco opened for Sheryl Crow. All acts were great!
	11:31am Bill U: Summer of 1976 - Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City - Ace, one hit wonder "How Long (has this been going on)", opened for Yes. The crowd (20,000+)booed them off the stage. But before they left they had to make a condescending remark, that "you are not our real fans".
	11:32am Richard: Press and hold the ALT key and type the number 0162 to make a cent symbol.
	11:32am Ken in Tucson: Kenny Rankin opened for Bruce Springsteen at Red Rocks in '78.
	11:34am pp: Worst mismatch was John Cougar opening for the Kinks.
	11:35am Ken in Tucson: The Specials opened for The Police at the Rainbow Music Hall in Denver. Guess which was better.
	11:35am Brian C.: Cent Sign = [option] + [4] ¢¢ <— my two cents
	11:36am Listener Baby: Best story ever!
	11:36am Tidepoolbay: John Cougar opened for Heart. Both acts were great!
	11:37am Brian C.: Nash the slash shoutout! I used to love trying to tune in Toronto radio stations
	11:37am mark: I saw Jonathan Richman in a bar in Austin and the audience wouldn't shut up even though he pleaded with them to stop talking during his set. Ruined the show.
	11:38am SmokinJ: That's me! Thanks ms..
	11:38am Uncle Michael: I saw 14Carat Soul open for the Stray Cats and they were terrific.
	11:39am Clarke: not necessarily the 'opening'' band, but i saw a rare live performance of Big Star (the 4-piece version) at this festival in new orleans - they had to go on about 1pm and the PA kept feeding back - but Big Star were amazing! it was then i realized that was the band i had heard on the college radio during the previous week!! (this is a longer story.. shortened for brevity).
	11:40am Ken in Tucson: The Brains ("Money Changes Everything") opened for U2 at the Rainbow in Denver and I wanted more. By the time U2 played "I Will Follow" the second time I knew I hated Bono.
	11:40am Don: In high school back in 1980 or so I went to see J. Geils Band in San Francisco, they put on a great show, but the opener that night was good too. It was U2. Crazy bill for sure.
	11:41am Listener Baby: Jellyfish opening for World Party. It was the original line up of Jellyfish. First record had just come out. They were really great, but saw them a few years later, and they were one of the best live bands I ever saw.
	11:41am SmokinJ: I'll take Geils.. he he
	11:43am Joe R.: Thanks from Wisconsin, Michael!
	11:43am jpuva: My very first concert was Jethro Tull at Madison Square Garden. I was in 8th grade. The opening act was Livingston Taylor solo acoustic and he left the stage after about 3 or 4 songs when someone threw a bottle at him. What a way to start my concert attending career! (John Paul from Sock Monster)
	11:44am Listener Baby: @Ken I saw the "I will follow" twice routine as well.
	11:47am Juke Joint Jonny: The Butera story reminds me of going to see Sam in an Italian wedding hall in Bklyn, and comedy duo Andre and Cirell, of whom I had no idea, were the other act and THEY KILLED! All the hip record collectors we went with to see Sam Butera were crying tears of mirth. So Andre and Cirell is my unexpected great opening act.
	11:47am Clarke: speaking of Tull - Donovan Leitch opened for the later version of Tull (songs from the wood era) - and though i knew his music - was ON FIYAH that night and super-impressed me by playing a great show despite having to open for a kinda not-great band.
	11:48am Uncle Michael: I went to see Buffalo Tom because they were in my area opening for Counting Crows and I have to say Adam Duritz treated Counteing Crows' opening acts like gold. They picked their opening acts, he came out in the opener's t-shirt and personally introduced the band...then he came out into the G.A. floor and stood watching their set. I was "with the band" and had a chance to watch the set and talk to him. I'm agnosti on their music, but he's a very good guy.
	11:48am Brian C.: U2 haters here, understandable, but I imagine they played "I will follow" twice because they had so little material at that point. Slightly off-topic, but the most exciting show I've ever seen was U2 on it's War tour, 1983. Amazing. (not a U2 fan anymore fwiw)
	11:48am Listener Baby: Never saw Peggy. She'd be on my list near the top, Anyone ever see her?
	11:49am Listener Baby: @Brian.. Not hating on U2. I saw their first three tours, and you are correct. Very exciting.
	11:50am Frank Above: David Lee Roth had Kool & The Gang open for Van Halen on one of the recent tours. You would think that would be a major mismatch, but apparently audiences really dug it. The ones that actually showed up to see them, that is.
	11:51am Brian C.: This conversation sure beats the best/worst superb owl halftime shows articles I've been seeing
	11:51am Uncle Michael: I saw Dream Syndicate open for R.E.M. R.E.M. was TERRIBLE...the Dream Syndicate set was good enough that they released it.
	11:52am Don: I am definitely not a U2 fan, at the time though I did think they were going places though...one of the only times I've gotten that right BTW. My memories are that Bono had a puffy shirt and bad 80s hair.
	11:52am Bootsie: I have to say, I LUV Cracker... but don't imagine I could endure even ONE Counting Crows song to get to see them.
	11:52am Jeezy: Woah, Michael... You lost me about the Replacements. "Sorry, Ma," "Let It Be," "Tim," "Pleased To Meet Me," are ALL classics...!
	11:53am SmokinJ: Thin Lizzy blowing U2 away.. The good old days... :)
	11:53am Uncle Michael: I saw Cracker open for the Grateful Dead once.
	11:53am lloyd michigan: Rev. Horton Heat opening for the Cramps was outstanding.
	11:53am ag: I saw the Replacements open for Keith Richards in 88, at the Meadowlands. Hells Angles were at the show in force, and we teen Mats fans were worried how this would go down. Then the Mats come out in three-piece suits, which really worried us. They got booed. But as they played, they got cheers, and none more than when Westerberg said "we might mess this next one up, it's new." Then, 20 secs in, they messed it up. He comes to the mike and says, "we effed it up." Biggest cheer, crowd was theirs from then on.
	11:53am patrick321: I once read maybe in the New Yorker that Slash had "the most favorable talent to success ratio" in all of rock n roll. The same might be said for GnR generally.
	11:54am Listener Baby: If I were a band, I would NOT ask Thin Lizzy to open for me. You'd be bound to get smoked, every time.
	11:54am Brian C.: @Uncle Michael -- funny, I saw that Dream Syndicate/REM tour too. I'd heard great things about DS but did not like them at all. Sounded awful to me. I was an REM fan (embarrassing -- I think I'm losing any cred I ever had!)
	11:54am Bootsie: I saw Living Colour open for the Godfathers at the old Ritz. Both good bands, but an odd pairing for sure.
	11:54am SmokinJ: Dig that Baby! ;-)>
	11:55am Ken in Tucson: My first concert was Leon Russell & the Shelter People, with Freddy King opening. Could have done worse.
	11:55am Mark in Toronto: Did see Marshal Crenshaw open for Dave Edmunds in Toronto, and he was pretty good, with really great sound.
	11:55am Michael Shelley: Jeezy - you are correct, they absolutely are - they just haven't aged well for me, cant put my finger on it
	11:55am Clarke: i was drumming in a band that was on the Counting Crows label - ugh!! and, Uncle Micheal is correct - adam durwitz is VERY VERY nice to the opening acts -- even if the band doesn't want him to support them!!
	11:55am lloyd michigan: Traffic opening for the Dead. One year before Jerry died.
	11:56am Melissa Jean: my pops liked to tell the story of me with a fever trying to point out a big pink bunny in our backyard. hope yer lil lady gets well soon!
	11:57am mark: I saw Sex Pistol Steve Jones' band Chequered Past open for Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. It was kinda surreal because Jean Bouvier of the Plasmatics was in Steven's band.
	11:57am Uncle Michael: Brian, Stipe was drunk and useless the night I saw that tour.
	11:59am Tidepoolbay: Nick Lowe opened for the Cars and kicked Butt!!
	11:59am scott: Around 1976 I saw Frank Zappa at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and the opening act (not band) was Tom Waits - just him and a piano. I think my brother and I knew who he was and he was great, but he got booed off the stage into the 2nd or 3rd song. He didn't go quietly and barked "Eat my shorts, sailor!" as he stalked off the stage. Once at Central Park I went to see the band Morphine and Junior Brown , who I'd never heard of, opened. Totally blown away - the guy's a monster guitar player!
	11:59am Clarke: (although i already knew him) Peter Holsapple opening for REM at The Bayou in baton rouge was EYE-OPENING!
	11:59am Uncle Michael: I saw a GREAT Disciples of Soul show. Bruce had played the same venue a week earlier and hardly anyone showed up for Steve. The crowd was invited to come down from the lawn and fill the reserved seats and they rocked 3000 like it was a show for 20,000.
	12:00pm PJ: @Uncle Michael: I saw Dream Syndicate open for REM at the Beacon, and the Dream Syndicate was incredibly boring, with interminable Karl Precoda guitar solos. Another incredibly boring band was Sonic Youth. The first time I saw them, they played after Fugazi, one of the best live bands at the time (or ever), which didn't help them, but they were so lifeless and without any stage presence (or tunes), that I fell asleep standing up. Many years later, I saw SY open for Wilco, and fell asleep again, this time sitting down.
	12:00pm Bootsie: @lloyd michigan: I bet! Both bands were smokin' live! I saw Cracker & RHH together once also.
	12:00pm lloyd michigan: The Killer!
	12:01pm mark: Micheal Stipe did the whole show sitting on a stool when I saw them with Dream Syndicate. Some injury from being in the ocean that day. He called it his Mel Torme act. He said he "bit the ocean and the ocean bit back.
	12:01pm Uncle Michael: When it comes to seeing music royalty as an opening act, my first concert is hard to top. I saw Steely Dan open for Bread.
	12:03pm Jeezy: @Brian C: There's no shame in being an REM fan in the 80s. They were an incredibly exciting and original band at the time, particularly pre-87. I saw them at the Felt Forum and they were utterly thrilling, with Stipe slowly stripping out of his Mad Hatter outfit the whole time. The Feelies opened and were great, though not as good as a young REM.
	12:03pm Jeezy: @Uncle Michael: WOW.... I've been really getting into the first 3 Bread albums lately...
	12:03pm Stevel: Tommy Stinson has been a professional player since he was 15 or so. Saw him six months ago, playing with his uncle on steel guitar. Great show. Nice, if guarded, guy. It was a pleasure to meet him. I'd photographed the band many times, but I'm sure we never spoke. He was probably 16 the last time I saw him. Now he's a semi-grizzled veteran of rock and roll, able to have gigs pay for the party.
	12:04pm mark: @Jeezy. I love my 80's R.E.M. records.
	12:05pm Mark in Toronto: How about food themed songs?
	12:05pm herb.nyc: I saw 10,000 Maniacs open for (???) at Maxwell's and really enjoyed, not having heard them. How about this: I saw the Decemberists headline at Bowery Ballroom, based only on what I read of them. And I really liked.
	12:06pm Stevel: Oh, if you haven't already, read Trouble Boys. Great book if you're familiar with the Replacements, or not. Bob Mehr did a great job..
	12:06pm Brian C.: @Jeezy thx, now I feel confident enough to mention a fantastic REM opening for English Beat at Buffalo State College, c. '82. The Beat were great too
	12:07pm Michael Shelley: some bands my band has been lucky to have opened for: NRBQ, They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Richman, Rubinoos, Ben Lee, Dinosaur Jr., Marshall Crenshaw, Shonen Knife, The Muffs
	12:07pm lloyd michigan: Best food song: Chicken Song by the Hall Negro Quartet
	12:07pm Ken in Tucson: R.E.M. was great in the early '80s. I'm with Michael, the more I could understand the words, the less I liked them.
	12:08pm Ken in Tucson: Food song: Let's Eat, by Nick Lowe
	12:08pm Clarke: while bob mehr does a great job with Trouble Boys, i would submit that everything i have read about the Mats doesn't get the gist of their live shows -- (in the beginning at least) there would be a moment of utter brilliance in every replacements show - which would make the s-hits-the-fans stuff even more of a dig.
	12:09pm Listener Baby: I was at the famous REM show at Magic Mountain Amusement Part. about 1981. A gig they called their worst ever. It was Spinal Tap and Puppet Show in the flesh. About 6 people there.
	12:11pm Juke Joint Jonny: "Hope you enjoy our new direction."
	12:11pm Mark in Toronto: Let's Eat by The Takeaways (actually Dave Edmunds), Potato Chips by Slim Gaillard, Potato Chip by Shadows of Knight and numerous Hasil Adkins songs
	12:12pm lloyd michigan: This sounds like the theme song to a bad 70s sitcom
	12:12pm Clarke: i was lucky enough to be in the opening act for The Replacements quite a lot (about 27 times) because my band was on Twin Tone, at the time they were on Twin Tone -- they were really nice to us, even if they hated their label
	12:13pm DG: AG: I saw that same show; I also saw them open for Costello at the Garden a few years later. Color me not impressed, but I don't think a big arena is the right place to see them.
	12:13pm Ken in Tucson: Speaking of Bread, how about playing Wreckless Eric's great cover of Guitar Man, Michael?
	12:13pm herb.nyc: A friend saw Chequered Past, mentioned here, and was so very disappointed
	12:13pm Brian C.: 10,000 Maniacs opening for REM at Radio City MH was another great show c. 1988 but maybe not relevant to Mr. Shelley's premise, I already loved REM and the maniacs, having gone to high school with Nat M
	12:14pm Clarke: one of the greatest shows i have EVER seen (including jerry lee) was the Mats the night we opened for them at The Chukker in tuscaloosa - they just surprised themselves and played everything GREAT. and no screwin' around - they could really be the best, when they wanted to be.
	12:15pm Uncle Michael: Speaking of Bread, Ken...the show I saw was in Tucson.
	12:16pm Ken in Tucson: My brother's band Lipstick Gunfighters opened for The Damned once!
	12:16pm Mark in Toronto: Sorry Ken, you're right. I meant Food by The Takeaways, with Dave Edmunds channelling Bob Dylan.
	12:17pm Clarke: i have some good stories about opening for someone who you didn't like, but can't tell them here.
	12:17pm Ken in Tucson: Joe Ely opening for The Blasters in Boulder around '82 was pretty good. He joined them for Bright Lights, Big City.
	12:18pm davefromtoronto: saw squeeze open for elvis costello in toronto. elvis had glenn tilbrook back out for his encore. glenn t said something nice about elvis to the crowd and EC kicked him in the ass!
	12:18pm DG: As a big Edmunds fan, I've never heard of "Food". Where can you get it? Was it a single? (I know "Let's Eat", it's on the "Live Stiffs" album, don't think there's a studio version of it.)
	12:18pm Stevel: Clarke: May I ask what band you were in? The only person I really talked to was Peter Jesperson. Completely agree re early live. Unforgettable shows. Rock and roll at the pinnacle, for me, at least.
	12:18pm Brian C.: A big fan of Athens GA bands, I saw Swimming Pool Qs open for Lou Reed. Don't recall how Lou's show was but I was very underwhelmed by the opener. Didn't believe the hype
	12:19pm Uncle Michael: Food is on the Bunch of Stiffs comp.
	12:20pm myron feld: I have some Wingy 78s I inherited from my father!
	12:20pm Michael Shelley: Clarke - tell but dont use the name
	12:21pm Juke Joint Jonny: Wingy was the best. Impeccable phrasing, whether it's his voice or his horn.
	12:21pm Clarke: that particular act was Charlie Pickett & The Eggs, but prior to that i had been in bands opening for the Mats a few times, too.
	12:22pm Uncle Michael: For the five minutes I was Todd Newman's booking agent, I dealt with Jesperson when he was doing the Medium Cool offshoot Barber's Itch. I didn't enjoy the experience.
	12:24pm DG: In college I was on the concert committee (and later the radio station) & we had some very odd pairings at concerts. Rachel Sweet opening for Jerry Garcia (!), some horrible metal act (TKO, maybe?) opening for the Kinks, this female folk/rock trio opening for Billy Joel (The Deadly Nightshade). At a Good Rats show (people outside NYC/LI: the Rats were a melodic hard rock band who never really made it outside NY), the opening act was this new, very straight-looking band who'd just released their 1st album. One of their songs was "Psycho Killer." The Rats fans were very vocal about how weird they thought they were & kept heckling them, but half the audience (dressed in punk/new wave costumes) clearly liked them.
	12:24pm Clarke: one story i will tell - it is funny (to me). the big dick move of the headlining act was to not strike the drum kit for the opening act - and make them set up down in front - EVEN if you had a road crew who was paid to set up drums and take them down.
	12:25pm DG: Uncle Michael: Thanks!
	12:25pm Uncle Michael: yw
	12:25pm Clarke: so, we were on the bill with Ben Vaughn Combo and both of our bands had to set up drums out front....
	12:26pm BennettCap: Joe won't be playing the Temptations box set from the basement. I took that one when he and I were throwing stuff out.
	12:26pm Listener Baby: @DG. You reminded me of the "richest" concert day of my life. I saw talking heads for free at UCLA, then, drove to Long Beach and saw Peter Gabriel on his first solo tour. Both bands were just unreal. Not sure I ever beat that day of music.
	12:27pm Clarke: so i am friends with the guys of the Combo, and we are all complaining about this big act making us work around their gear
	12:30pm PJ: I saw Charlie Pickett open for someone (The Replacements? Jason and the Scorchers?) at the old 930 Club, and was impressed enough to go out and buy Rte. 33, which was good, but not as good as the live show. Apparently Charlie was a history buff, and remarked that John Wilkes Booth had fled down the alley behind the club after shooting Lincoln.
	12:30pm Clarke: so then, shoot to some time later, we were to open for the ben vaughn combo in philly (their home town) - and we show up to JC Dobbs for soundcheck and find that Lonesome Bob (their drummer) refuses to take down his drum kit and we have to set the drums out front. ha ha ha. in explanation, it was later revealed that bob had to leave soundcheck and go to nyc and come back in time for his set. but, we still cracked up at the irony, there.
	12:32pm chicagah yak: Saw The Cars right as their first album came out open for Dickey Betts in Chicago. Worst mismatch I've ever seen. Beer and whiskey bottles rained on them after a few songs and they fled in terror, but they had to go down the aisle thru the crowd to get to the dressing room. I was there for Betts but I never felt sorrier for an opener.
	12:32pm Greg from ZONE 5: THIS SONG ALL DAY!
	12:32pm Clarke: ha ha, i was the one who showed charlie the spot where boothe mounted his horse - the back of the Ford Theater shares an alley with the old 9:30 Club
	12:33pm scott: Featuring the Hollywood Golden Trio!
	12:34pm Clarke: i think that show we opened for The Gun Club
	12:35pm Ken in Tucson: @DG, I saw the Good Rats open at a tiny club for Felix Pappalardi & Creation (all Japanese guys). I remember them being fun. Singer tossed out rubber rats to the crowd and I kept mine for years!
	12:36pm PJ: I never got to see the Gun Club, so it must have been someone else, but it was a long time ago . . . Google to the rescue - it was Rank and File, whom I had forgotten I had seen, but they were good too!
	12:37pm Clarke: enjoying the music MS!!! i have tons of these stories but some other time, maybe...
	12:37pm Marc15: The horrific Election result has made me realize who my real friends are on Facebook. With only a few anti-Trump posts, I have already lost eight friends. In a way, I'm glad they unfriended me, because I really do not want to be friends with people who support Donald Trump.
	12:37pm lloyd michigan: There are no longer voices like this. (J. Murphy)
	12:38pm Mark in Toronto: @DG: One of those Stiff comps also has an artist named Jill Read doing Maybe, and it's rumoured to be just Dave with his voice sped up. (the backing track is the same as Dave's Maybe). Also are you familiar with Dave covering New York's a Lonely Town, as London's a Lonely Town. Can be found on the Pebbles surf comp.
	12:38pm dk50b: No clue how, but I've lived a charmed life in terms of opening acts. My first concert was The Cars at The Garden in 12/80. In line with what Michael said about being rude to opening acts, I went in thinking you're supposed to hate them. Turned out to be XTC, They blew The Cars away, especially since The Cars didn't move during their show. Next was Squeeze at the Nassau Coliseum 12/24/82. Openers were the English Beat, who I liked at the time, and first up were these guys one of my friends was insane about, R.E.M. Been a huge fan ever since. Maybe the most unexpected was seeing John Cale at the Bottom Line in 1/83, and The Violent Femmes burst on the stage as openers. This was three months before their first album came out, and their trashcan percussion and bashed acoustic bass were unlike anything before or since.
	12:39pm Clarke: ah, that R&F show was later (alejandro already in True Believers by then) - the kinman boys...
	12:40pm lloyd michigan: That election had some negative effects on some of my relationships (facebook and otherwise). Some friends amazed me by backing Trump.
	12:41pm Parq: Anybody know what it is that Ian mumbles at the start of "Stick"? All I can make out is the word "jukebox".
	12:41pm Listener Baby: Theses guys could really play.
	12:41pm Marc15: The same with me Lloyd. I was also surprised who were Trump Supporters
	12:41pm lloyd michigan: @Mark. I have that in my music library. I'll have to give it another listen.
	12:42pm Michael Shelley: dk - I was at that cars show & that Squeeze show
	12:45pm Jimmy Wipper: Who knew that dancing the Hootchie-Koo condemned you to hell?
	12:46pm johnk77: great comments and show today chequered past was not steve jone's band all band members were partners but i road managed them for a few months and steve was never involved with decision-making michael and nigel ran the band w/input from clem
	12:47pm PJ: @Clarke: Memory is a jumble. I saw True Believers open for Los Lobos in 85, and they were fantastic, like a three-guitar version of the Clash (not the later three-guitar ersatz Clash!) I was so disappointed when I finally heard their first record a year or two later, it sucked all the energy out of their music.
	12:48pm lloyd michigan: Speaking of the Clash, am I the only one who loved Big Audio Dynamite?
	12:48pm dale: thought this was big star. it's a super hit nonetheless.
	12:48pm Listener Baby: @Lloyd. I think so?
	12:49pm lloyd michigan: Sad. "Esquerita" is a true number hit.
	12:50pm johnk77: the old 9:30 was a toilet the alley in back was cool w/historic rats and garbage
	12:51pm Clarke: baby baby baby the True Believers were great in the beginning, and the making of that record probably destroyed the brother relationship tweenst the escovidos... they were great live.
	12:53pm Clarke: at least this is what alejandro was intimating in an interview i heard with him, this past october
	12:53pm PJ: B.A.D. had some great songs, though their albums were uneven. I saw them live sometime in the late 80s and they played a great free show at a heavy metal bar in Baltimore called Hammerjacks (one spandex-clad gent evidently showed up on the wrong night), and encored with 1999.
	12:55pm Clarke: opened for NRBQ at hammerjack's - it was one of the sets where i would say we held our own with the headliner that night
	12:55pm Brian C.: Clash fan here. I saw that ersatz-clash lineup. Ugh, springfest or fallfest at SUNY Buffalo, awful. Also saw the clash open for the who, bad sound at a football stadium. Only thing I recall was Strummer & Simmonon switching guitar/bass (for Brand New Cadillac?) by tossing them to each other. I thought that was pretty cool and punk rock. David Johansen opened the show
	12:55pm PJ: I think the B.A.D. and solo Strummer records (which all have their high points) showed how much better those guys were when they worked together than apart.
	12:55pm lloyd michigan: PJ, you're right about uneven albums, but that goes for many, many bands. Saw them in Chicago and they were outstanding. BAD II was not the same.
	12:56pm Clarke: this was with The Incredible Casuals, who opened for the Q pretty much exclusively whenever they toured
	12:56pm lloyd michigan: Saw David J. on my 50th birthday.
	12:57pm Brian C.: re: B.A.D., I remember their use of movie dialog samples was kind of a new thing, I was listening to M+M (née Martha and the Muffins) and they did the same thing but 1-2 years earlier.
	12:57pm Listener Baby: Clarke. Did you do the IC gig in Long Beach opening for the Q?
	12:57pm Clarke: adios ya'll - i wanna wrestle about it!!
	12:58pm lloyd michigan: :)
	12:58pm Clarke: yeah - that was a fun show -
	12:58pm Revolution Rabbit Nov63: Thx DJ MS !
	12:58pm Listener Baby: Nice! I was there.
	12:58pm Brian C.: So Michael, whatja need the ¢ sign for?
	12:59pm Frank Above: xxxx
	12:59pm Bklyn kid: great show!!
	12:59pm Clarke: this was a fun show!!!
	12:59pm lloyd michigan: 5
	12:59pm jpuva: I'll add one. Baby Lee - greatest song of all time
	12:59pm ChrisB.: Hi!
	12:59pm PJ: If anyone has live True Believers stuff from their heyday, get it out there, please

Michael Shelley: Playlist from February 4, 2017

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