WYEP Music Blog

Erin McKeown will be spending Sunday afternoon performing songs about sports live over the internet from her snowy cottage in rural Western Massachusetts. As part of her webcasting series “Cabin Fever,” she’s going to be chatting with fans and maybe even welcome a special guest or two. Erin is encouraging fans suggest songs for her to play via Twitter or her Facebook fan page. She has more info here.

And it perfectly bridges the gap between WYEP’s Alternative Souper Bowl and heading over to your big game party!

Check out her short promo video for the event:

“If it wasn’t for John Lennon, a lot of us would be some place much different tonight. It’s a hard world that asks you to live with a lot of things that are unlivable. And it’s hard to come out here and play tonight, but there’s nothing else to do.”

~~Bruce Springsteen,from the stage the day ofter John Lennon’s murder

Here’s the list of songs aired during our special “John Lennon: A Life in Song.”

• The Beatles, “In My Life” (Rubber Soul, 1965)
• Rainbo, “John, You Went Too Far This Time” (single, 1968)
• The Beatles, “The Ballad of John & Yoko” (single, 1969)
• Tom Paxton, “Crazy John” (Tom Paxton 6, 1970)
• Blossom Dearie, “Hey John” (That’s Just the Way I Want to Be, 1970)
• John Lennon, “God” (Plastic Ono Band, 1970)
• George Harrison, “All Those Years Ago” (Somewhere in England, 1981)
• Paul McCartney, “Here Today” (Tug of War, 1982)
• Elton John, “Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)” (Jump Up!, 1982)
• Christine Lavin, “The Dakota” (Future Fossils, 1984)
• Loudon Wainwright III, “Not John” (I’m Alright, 1984)
• Paul Simon, “The Late Great Johnny Ace” (Hearts and Bones, 1983)
• Paul Thorn, “Where Was I?” (Ain’t Love Strange, 1999)
• Queen, “Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)” (Hot Space, 1982)
• Susanna Hoffs, “Weak With Love” (Susanna Hoffs, 1996)
• Hamell on Trial, “John Lennon” (The Chord Is Mightier Than the Sword, 1997)
• Christy Moore, “The Least We Can Do” (Ride On, 1984)
• John Lennon, “(Just Like) Starting Over” (Double Fantasy Stripped Down, 2010)

The number “9″ was a favorite of John Lennon’s (n.b., “Revolution 9,” “#9 Dream”), so it’s quite fitting that The Beatles’ record company is releasing the first major updating of The Beatles’ CD catalogue since the discs were first released twenty years ago on 09-09-09, or this Wednesday, September 9th.

Box sets with the entire band’s original recorded output in stereo and another one in mono are coming out that day, each painstakingly remastered with technology not available when the CDs first hit the ears of Fab Four fans in the late 1980s.

To give you a sampler platter of these reissues, WYEP will play one song from the stereo remasters each hour from 6am to 6pm on Wednesday. We’ll select a dozen of the most interesting songs with updated sonics and let you taste for yourself.

Meanwhile, here’s a review of the reissues. (Here’s a more audiophile-oriented review.)

The remasters are coming out in conjunction with the Rock Band video game with a Beatles theme.