Never Knew How Much We Had In Common Until...
This evening, I listened to Dr. Demento's first "regular" episode, originally broadcast live on KPPC in Pasadena, California on May 2, 1971. Lots of similarities to later Tape and Record Show Enterprises "pretend" radio shows in the 1980's. First, sound quality is close to most of the old audio cassettes TRSE produced in the 80's. Second, some chair squeaks are heard at times. Those popped up on some "James Stricklin Song Mirage" episodes when James' then wife Michelle was in studio, sitting in the old creaky rocker my parents bought in the 60's. Third, a record the Doctor started playing was at the wrong speed at first, which he quickly corrected. Reminded me of that happening at least once on a live TRSE "countdown" show, and something similar happened with Dennis Goodwin during a live "Orbit's Independent Sampler" KNLU broadcast which TRSE re-"aired" later, where Dennis couldn't locate the 45rpm adapter for a record, so the record played slightly "wonky". A couple times, mainly on Randy Haney's "Life of Elvis" and the "TRS Scrap Pile", I slowed down sections of songs, but mainly for comic effect, not to bring out hidden features, as Dr. Demento did on "Surfin' Bird". The Doctor had a "sidekick" on the episode, similar to me playing "Calvert Mims" on several "Song Mirage" episodes (but the Doctors' sidekick was not heard on microphone NEAR as often as I was), WELL before I heard this earliest "Dr. Demento Show", which was this evening. An advertiser was a water bed seller, Paul Morrison had a water bed for at least a period of time...
"The Dr. Demento Show: Live on KPPC Pasadena, California - Broadcast Sunday, May 2, 1971 at 9:00pm Pacific. NOTE: This is the first Sunday night Dr. Demento show and the first time the show was given its own timeslot, instead of being part of Steven Segal's Thursday night timeslot. NOTE: This is the first Dr. Demento show featuring a sidekick (not counting Steven Segal). Captain Heavy (Edard Nelson) makes his first appearance on this show. Playlist: Go! Go! Go! (Roy Orbison), Mystery Train (Elvis Presley, Scotty & Bill), Ghost Riders In The Sky (Vaughn Monroe), Pico And Sepulveda [The Street Song] (Felix Figueroa & His Orchestra), Flamingo Express (The Royaltones), Poor Boy (The Royaltones), Dirty Robber [single version] (The Waliers), Tall Cool One (The Wailers), My True Story (The Jive Five - accidentally started at 33 1/3 rpm instead of 45 rpm), Tell Me A Story (Jimmy Boyd w/ Frankie Laine), A Story Untold (The Nutmegs), Hoppy's Good Luck Coin (Hopalong Cassidy), Number 29 (Wesley Wallace), The Wolverine Blues (Jelly Roll Morton), Get Happy (Art Tatum), Surfin' Bird [demented mix] (The Trashmen), Come On-A My House (Rosemary Clooney), Spike Jones Murders Carmen [part 1] (Spike Jones), It's All Over Now (The Valentinos w/ Bobby Womack), Not Fade Away (The Crickets w/ Buddy Holly), Fortune Teller (Benny Spellman), That's No Way To Get Along [first version] (Robert Wilkins), You Gotta Move (Fred McDowell), Pale Blues (Edard Nelson), Instrumental Round (Moondog & His Friends), Double Bass Duo (Moondog & His Friends), Why Spend The Dark Night With You? (Moondog & His Friends), Hurry And Bring It Back Home (Barbecue Bob), The Pony Blues (Charley Patton), See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (Blind Lemon Jefferson), We Belong Together (Robert & Johnny), Ten Commandments Of Love (Harvey & The Moonglows), Pretend (Nat King Cole), A Fallen Tear (The El Dorados), Driftwood (The Wailers)."
Random Thoughts: Some selections played on this episode sound worse than the LP reissues I bought in the 80's of the same selections, but either those selections hadn't been reissued at the time of the broadcast, or Dr. Demento, being a music historian, preferred to use the original releases for the radio show.
"The Dr. Demento Show: Live on KPPC Pasadena, California - Broadcast Sunday, May 2, 1971 at 9:00pm Pacific. NOTE: This is the first Sunday night Dr. Demento show and the first time the show was given its own timeslot, instead of being part of Steven Segal's Thursday night timeslot. NOTE: This is the first Dr. Demento show featuring a sidekick (not counting Steven Segal). Captain Heavy (Edard Nelson) makes his first appearance on this show. Playlist: Go! Go! Go! (Roy Orbison), Mystery Train (Elvis Presley, Scotty & Bill), Ghost Riders In The Sky (Vaughn Monroe), Pico And Sepulveda [The Street Song] (Felix Figueroa & His Orchestra), Flamingo Express (The Royaltones), Poor Boy (The Royaltones), Dirty Robber [single version] (The Waliers), Tall Cool One (The Wailers), My True Story (The Jive Five - accidentally started at 33 1/3 rpm instead of 45 rpm), Tell Me A Story (Jimmy Boyd w/ Frankie Laine), A Story Untold (The Nutmegs), Hoppy's Good Luck Coin (Hopalong Cassidy), Number 29 (Wesley Wallace), The Wolverine Blues (Jelly Roll Morton), Get Happy (Art Tatum), Surfin' Bird [demented mix] (The Trashmen), Come On-A My House (Rosemary Clooney), Spike Jones Murders Carmen [part 1] (Spike Jones), It's All Over Now (The Valentinos w/ Bobby Womack), Not Fade Away (The Crickets w/ Buddy Holly), Fortune Teller (Benny Spellman), That's No Way To Get Along [first version] (Robert Wilkins), You Gotta Move (Fred McDowell), Pale Blues (Edard Nelson), Instrumental Round (Moondog & His Friends), Double Bass Duo (Moondog & His Friends), Why Spend The Dark Night With You? (Moondog & His Friends), Hurry And Bring It Back Home (Barbecue Bob), The Pony Blues (Charley Patton), See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (Blind Lemon Jefferson), We Belong Together (Robert & Johnny), Ten Commandments Of Love (Harvey & The Moonglows), Pretend (Nat King Cole), A Fallen Tear (The El Dorados), Driftwood (The Wailers)."
Random Thoughts: Some selections played on this episode sound worse than the LP reissues I bought in the 80's of the same selections, but either those selections hadn't been reissued at the time of the broadcast, or Dr. Demento, being a music historian, preferred to use the original releases for the radio show.