When something happens for the first time in more than a half century, you take note. Joe Biden walking away from his re-election bid for President was one of those. So it prompted a full show of songs that echoed the event. Songs about various Joes from Golden Smog to Liz Phair; songs about quitting, from Otis Rush to Eddie and the Hot Rods; about job loss from Alex Chilton and the Minus 5 and 10 different songs with the title “Walk Away.”
That meant shorter shrift than usual to the birthdays of Rufus Wainwright (51), George Clinton (83), Chuck Jackson (born this day in 1937), Estelle Bennett of the Ronettes (1941 and Steve Albini, who would have been 62 had he not died in May.
And time for only brief tributes to the recently departed Toumani Diabaté, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Happy Traum, Jerry Miller of Moby Grape and Duke Fakir, the last surviving member of the Four Tops, who died just today in Detroit at 88. Which provided an opportunity to close with another song about walking away, “Walk Away Renee.”
Here’s the link to the whole show; the setlist follows:
Capital Radio. July 22, 2024. 1- 4:30 p.m. www.cygnusradio.com
- “Capital Radio Two,” The Clash
- “Sabu Yerkoy,” Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté
- “I’m Going to Get My Baby Out of Jail,” Bernice Johnson Reagan & Len Chandler
- “Let Me Die in My Footsteps,” Happy Traum
- “8:05,” Moby Grape
- “Old and in the Way,” Old & in the Way
- “The Breaking of the President,” The Firesign Theatre
- “Listen Joe,” Golden Smog
- “Joe,” Dusty Springfield
- “Joe,” PJ Harvey
- “Joe Rey,” Foundains of Wayne
- “Joe the Lion,” David Bowie
- “Soap Star Joe,” Liz Phair
- “Diamond Joe,” Bob Dylan
- “You’re Gonna Quit Me,” Bob Dylan
- “How Do You Quit (Someone You Love),” Carla Thomas
- “I Can’t Quit Her,” Blood, Sweat & Tears
- “Reasons to Quit,” Cracker
- “Dear Employer (The Reason I Quit),” The Minus 5
- “Lost My Job,” Alex Chilton
- “The Job That Ate My Brain,” Ramones
- “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” Otis Rush
- “Quit This Town,” Eddie and the Hot Rods
- “Quit While You’re Behind,” Dr. Feelgood
- “I’m Ahead If I Can Quit While I’m Behind,” Rusty
- “Quit,” Juliana Hatfield
- ”Quit (Don’t Say You Love Me),” Neil Young
- “That’s It — I Quit — I’m Moving On,” Sam Cooke
- “Hit it and Quit,” Funkadelic
- “Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk,” Rufus Wainwright
- “I Don’t Want to Cry,” Chuck Jackson
- “I Can Hear Music,” The Ronettes
- “Kerosene,” Big Black
- “Walk Away from Love,” David Ruffin
- “Walk Away,” Squeeze
- “Walk Away,” Peter Bradley Adams
- “Walk Away Renee,” The Left Banke
- “Walk Away,” James Gang
- “Walk Away,” Frank Sinatra
- “Walk Away,” The English Beat
- “Walk Away,” Del Shannon
- “Walk Away,” Donna Summer
- “Walk Away,” Franz Ferdinand
- “Let Him Walk Away,” Darlene Love
- “Don’t Walk Away,” Jade
- “Leaving New York,” R.E.M.
- “She’s Leaving Home,” Harry Nilsson
- “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” Four Tops
- “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” Four Tops
- “Walk Away Renee,” Four Tops
Capital Radio returns July 29 at 1 p.m. EDT on www.cygnusradio.com, where this and other recent shows are posted. The broadcast is also available on the free cygnusradio.com app, available at iTunes or GooglePlay. Older shows are available at Substack.com/@rogercatlin.