I guess it’s fitting that a show half dedicated to eclipses would itself be eclipsed by the failure of WiFi. Couldn’t get a signal to broadcast the show live for the first two hours, but luckily the whole three and a half hour show got preserved for those who want to hear it.
The eclipse set, prompted by the recent solar event out west over the weekend, prompted a new recording from Roger Waters and old ones from such obscurities as the trio Tony, Caro & John. Both TV on the Radio and U2 sang songs about staring at the sun; both Beck and Grateful Dead did songs titled “Dark Star.” Elton John didn’t want the sun to go down on him, but Elvis Costello confesses “I Let the Sun Go Down.”
It was the birthday of bluesman Big Joe Williams (born this day in 1903), Velvet Underground chanteuse Nico (1938) and bandleader Bert Kaempfert (1923). Red Hot Chili Pepper bassist Flea turned 61; Bob Mould 63, John Mayer 46; and the Dead’s Bob Weir reached 76.
But most of the time was spent reviewing the career of ace Muscle Shoals Studio drummer Roger Hawkins, born this day in 1945, who put his mark on dozens of hits from soul stars like Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Clarence Carter, but also such ’70s rockers as Leon Russel, Ry Cooder, Paul Simon, Laura Nyro and Bob Seger.
Here’s a link to the whole show; the setlist follows:
Capital Radio, October 16, 2023, 1 – 4:28 p.m., cygnusradio.com
- “Capital Radio Two,” The Clash
- “Eclipse,” Roger Waters
- “Eclipse,” Winterpills
- “Eclipse of the Moon,” Tony, Caro & John
- “I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine,” The Ronettes
- “Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas),” They Might Be Giants
- “Here Comes the Sun [remix],” Nina Simone
- “Blister in the Sun,” Violent Femmes
- “Black Hole Sun,” The Moog Cookbook
- “I’ll Follow the Sun,” The Beatles
- “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me [live],” Elton John
- “I Let the Sun Go Down,” Elvis Costello
- “Staring at the Sun,” TV on the Radio
- “Staring at the Sun,” U2
- “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” Elvis Presley
- “Stumbling Through the Dark,” The Jayhawks
- “No Sunlight,” Death Cab for Cutie
- “Dark Star,” Beck
- “Dark Star,” Grateful Dead
- “Blackstar,” David Bowie
- “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore),” The Walker Brothers
- “Pearly Mae,” Big Joe Williams
- “Everybody’s Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone,” Big Joe Williams
- “Don’t You Leave Me Here,” Big Joe Williams
- “If You Want Me to Stay,” Red Hot Chili Peppers
- “Give It Away,” Red Hot Chili Peppers
- “Higher Ground,” Red Hot Chili Peppers
- “Land of 1,000 Dances,” Wilson Pickett
- “Sweet Soul Music,” Arthur Conley
- “I’m Your Puppet,” James and Bobby Purify
- “Tell Mana,” Etta James
- “I’ll Take You There, “ The Staple Singers
- “Take Time to Know Her,” Percy Sledge
- “Slip Away,” Clarence Carter
- “Chain of Fools,” Aretha Franklin
- “Starting All Over Again,” Mel & Tim
- “She Smiles Like a River,” Leon Russell
- “Boomer’s Story,” Ry Cooder
- “I Won’t Be Hangin’ Round,” Linda Ronstadt
- “Take Me to the Mardi Gras,” Paul Simon
- “When I Was a Freeport and You Were the Main Drag,” Laura Nyro
- “Mainstreet,” Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
- “Playing in the Band,” Grateful Dead
- “Sugar Magnolia,” Grateful Dead
- “If I Can’t Change Your Mind,” Sugar
- “Celebrated Summer [live],” Hüsker Dü
- “Beat It [live],” Fall Out Boy with John Mayer
- “Femme Fatale,” The Velvet Underground
- “These Days,” Nico
- “I’ll Keep It With Mine,” Nico
- “Wonderland by Night,” Bert Kaempfert
- “Red Roses for a Blue Lady,” Bert Kaempfert
Capital Radio returns Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. EDT on cygnusradio.com, where recent shows are also archived. Can also be heard on the free CygnusRadio app available from iTunes or GooglePlay.