"Christmas" 12/11/2012

CLICK HERE FOR MP3

'Toppers bids adieu to 2012 with a special show of great Christmas tunes, some of which are appearing for the first time here. Features music from the Kinks, Milwaukee 'mid-70s psych band Creme Soda, Cal Smith, Ethiopian jazz legend Mulatu Astatqe, the Edgar Broughton Band, and many more.

"Mad Man" 12/4/2012

CLICK HERE FOR MP3

A stirring legal drama unfolds on this week's 'Toppers. Features music from Vashti Bunyan, The New Creation, Los Amis, Jeff Simmons, the Velvet Underground, The Coasters, Wreckless Eric and more.

"Burn Out" 11/27/2012

CLICK HERE FOR MP3

A terribly dull show of 'Toppers, failing miserably on all levels.

Artist / Song / Album (if available)
Cinderella "Tl Ako Sa'Yo"
Brazda Brothers "Walking into the Sun" (The Brazda Brothers)
Brazda Brothers "Lonely Time" (The Brazda Brothers)
Down by the Station "Ha ha/ The Chocolate Train"
The Cote Family "Traveling Down Life's Lonely Road" (Somebody Help Me Praise Him)
Kwame "Rhythm" (The Boy Genius) 
Michael Hurley "Uncle Bob's Corner" (Hi Fi Snock Uptown)
Bobbi Blake "Husband, Lover, Friend"
James Ingram "Black Woman"
Guru Blanket "Kyrie Eleison" (Love Serve Remember)
Mirabai "Gita Song" (Love Serve Remember)
Burt Bacharach- various excerpts from the Orson Welles/Peter Sellers/Woody Allen film Casino Royale
The Everly Brothers "I Wonder if I Care as Much" (Heartaches and Harmonies)
Divine "Walk Like a Man" (The Best and the Rest Of Divine)
Al Green "Let's Stay Together" (Let's Stay Together)
Johnny Thunders "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" (So Alone)
Kathy and Carol "Green Rocky Road" (Kathy and Carol)

"Let's Go to Market Basket!" 11/20/2012

CLICK HERE FOR MP3

A very special Thanksgiving day 'Toppers. Broadcast live and 100% local from the Prospect Avenue Whole Foods,Cambridge, and the Market Basket in Somerville.

Special bonus: this quick clip of Market Basket hell didn't make the show but you can hear it here.

iToops: 'Toppers podcasts now available on iTunes

Barreling into the 21st Century at a breakneck pace, 'Toppers podcasts have now become syndicated in the popular "iTunes" service. You can find us by searching your iTunes store for podcasts or by following this link:

 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/series-podcast-toppers/id579189046


By subscribing to the podcast your mobile telephone can be updated automatically every time a show is uploaded.

"Gardening with Gil" 11/13/2012

CLICK HERE FOR MP3

Artist/ Song/ Album (if available)
Alvino Rey w/ Stringy the Talking Guitar "St. Louis Blues"
Bert Kaempfert "Afrikaan Beat" (Swinging Safari)
Mini "Heja Tanc"
Liz Anderson "So Much for Me, So Much for You" (Major Country Hits)
Marvin Gaye "Got to Give It Up (Part One)" (Pure Disco Compilation)
The Specials "Blank Expression" (The Specials)
Sanford Clark "Bad Luck"
Penahi "Dance Music" (Raks Raks Raks: Iranian '60s Garage Psych)
Pete Rock and CL Smooth "Mecca and the Soul Brother" (All Souled Out)
Shekar Dar Kohestan "Golden Ring" (Raks Raks Raks: Iranian '60s Garage Psych)
Lee Dorsey "A Lover was Born"
Lee Dorsey "O-Me O-My O"

"Mr. Romney is On Top of Vermont" 11/06/2012

CLICK HERE FOR MP3

A not-so-special election show with lots of great tunes.

Artist/ Song/ Album (if available)

15-60-75  "Jimmy Bell" (Jimmy Bell's in Town) 
Whistling Jack Smith "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman"
The Fall "C.R.E.E.P." (The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall)
Los 3 Sudamericanos "Yeh Yeh" (Chicas!)
Les Crane "Desiradata [Child of the Universe]"
Optical*8 "Bug" (All Over)
Sanford Clark "My Jealousy" (The Fool- Recordings from 1956-1960)
Pete Fountain "Shrimp Boats" (The Best of Pete Fountain)
Anonymous Belgian Homeless Man "?"
The Honeycombs "Falling" (The Best of the Honeycombs)
Telex "Eurovision" (Eurovision)
Syl Johnson "Concrete Reservation" (Is It Because I'm Black?)
Sanford Clark "Son of a Gun" (The Fool- Recordings from 1956-1960)
Talking Heads "This Must Be the Place" (Speaking in Tongues)
Pete Drake "Y'all Come" (The Amazing & Incredible Pete Drake & His Talking Guitar)

"Halloween Special" 10/30/2012

or CLICK HERE FOR MP3

A very special halloween 'Toppers with appropriate music, terrible accents, and way too many spooky hijinx.

"Pahoosoham" 10/16 & 10/23/2012

CLICK HERE FOR MP3

The complete show! 
While Boston Free Radio's streaming service was down on October 23rd a final 40 minutes was digitally recreated using advanced Computer Generated Imagery and painstakingly re-recorded "in studio." You can now hear a sloppy  approximation of what the original broadcast sounded like in its entirety. Why it's almost as good as the original!

Artist/Song/Album (if available)
Chubby Checker "Misirlou"
Cal Smith "Country Bumpkin"
Santo and Johnny "Caravan" (Santo and Johnny)
Brenton Wood "Baby You Got It" (18 Best)
Joy Division "Transmission
Miriam Makeba "Pata Pata"  (The Best of the Early Years)
Sunil Ganguly "Ajhoon Na Aye" (Bollywood Steel Guitar)
Santo and Johnny "Summertime" (Santo and Johnny)
Yays & Nays "Contrary Mary" (Yays & Nays)
Jim Ed Brown "Pop a Top" (Greatest Hits)
Rocket from the Crypt "Light Me" (The State of the Art is on Fire)
Amoebic Ensemble "Gimme a Buck or I'll Touch You" (Limbic Rage)
Young MC "Know How" (Stone Cold Rhymin')
Johnny Cash "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (American V)
Dead Kennedys "Holiday in Cambodia" (Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables)
Johnny Burnette "It'll Be Alright" Demo (Wampus Cat)

"Pahoosoham" (Partial Show) 10/16/2012

CLICK HERE FOR MP3

Due to a recording mishap, only the first 18 minutes of this show were archived. The rest were lost to the sands of time. Hopefully better luck next week!

"Big Fluoride" 10/9/2012

CLICK HERE FOR MP3

The dangers of water fluoridation and much, much more!

Toppers now re-broadcasting Mondays at 7PM on Boston Free Radio

You read right: catch up on all your favorite Toppers-brand shows on the Monday night before the music begins again. Excellent quality reruns at 7PM-8PM Eastern Standard Time. Follows the program Mouthful of Diamonds , and afterwards stay tuned for The Cool Kids Club .

"Think of Me as a Friend" 10/2/2012

CLICK HERE

Together we plow through a special obligatory fund- raising episode for Boston Free Radio. Features audio from a Somerville-produced documentary about obscure German philosopher Heinz Kreutz-DeVotter, Evenings with an Eminent Philosopher.

(Last week was a repeat of the "Birding" show due to illness.)

Occupy

or download direct here: https://ia801508.us.archive.org/34/items/Toppers9182012/Toppers%209%2018%202012.mp3

A stirring evocation of the anti-corporate spirit. 
Bank of America sucks.
Recorded 9/18/2012 at Boston Free Radio.

PLAYLIST
Artist / Song / Album Title (when available)
John Leyton "Johnny Remember Me"
Beatnuts "2-3 Break" (Street Level)
Louis Prima with Keely Smith "Embraceable You/ I Got It Bad" (Collectors Series)
Michelle Shocked "The Orange Braid Song"
Screamin' Jay Hawkins "I Put a Spell on You" (Voodoo Jive: The Best of Screamin' Jay Hawkins)
The Singing Nun/ Sœur Sourire "Dominique" (The Singing Nun: Dominique)
Lou Christie "It Can Happen"
The Beach Boys "Until I Die" (The Savage Pencil comp.)
Pell Mell "Chroma-Key Beach" (Bumper Crop)
Elephant's Memory "Mongoose" (Take It to the Streets)
Them "Friday's Child" (The Story of Them)
Judy Collins "Judith's Song"
Isaac Green and the Skalars "Back in High School [original singer mix]"

Toppers 9/11/2012: "Mostly Instrumentals"

CLICK HERE FOR MP3

Instrumental music, although not exclusively, from a gaggle of gooses this episode.

On a technical note, 'Toppers production staff have begun to use the venerable A-Infos project to upload new shows. This latest show was placed under their care. Much work is under way. Soon we'll have podcasting through "The iTunes" and even a FacialBook page!

'Toppers 9/4/2012: "Choppers!"

 

or CLICK HERE FOR MP3

The final third of the Shrimp Boat trilogy. A high-flyin' show of adventure and intrigue. Originally broadcast September 4, 2012 on Boston Free Radio.

Songs in order:
Dionne Warwick "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"
Sparks "Beat the Clock" (No. 1 in Heaven)
Roger Ruskin Spear "Make Yourself a Happiness Pie"  (Electric Shocks)
Apollo 100 "Joy" (Apollo 100)
Crass "So What" (The Feeding of the 5000)
The Sisterhood "Christmas Treat, Peppermint"
Gene Autry "Tweedle O'Twill" (Sing Cowboy Sing)
The Creation "Nightmares" (The Best of the Creation)
The Charmels "As Long as I Have You"
Unknown child on Youtube "Harold the Helicopter Song"
Desperation Sundays "Heli-cop-ters" (Lonely Death on a Lovely Sunday)
Glen Campbell (Sr.) "Galveston" (Galveston)
The New Creation "Dig!" (Troubled)
The Comedian Harmonists "Puppenhochzeit" (The COmedian Harmonists Story 1927-1933)

'Toppers 8/28/2012: "Shrimp Boat Pt. 2"

or  CLICK HERE FOR MP3

The action-packed follow-up show of the Shrimp Boat trilogy.


Special blog only bonus: song "Let's Get On Da Flo' N Scrimp Some Mo'" by Lil' Scrimpy here.

'Toppers 8/21/2012: "Shrimp Boat!"

or CLICK HERE FOR MP3

Broadcast live from the beach on Boston Free Radio August 21st. Part 1 of 2.

Special bonus for blog viewers, the "Steady Scrimpin'" song from episode above here.

'Toppers 8/14/2012: "Meditations"

CLICK HERE FOR MP3

Nothing but good music and calming meditations.

Artist / Song Title / Album info if available

Telex "Moskow Diskow"
The Free Design "Kites Are Fun" (Kites Are Fun)
Floyd Cramer "Foolin' Around"
Dion McGregor "Don't Break the Mailman" (The Dream World of Dion McGregor)
Aretha Franklin "Day Dreaming" 
The Lords of the Underground "Chief Rocka" (Here Come the Lords)
The DeZurik [Cackle] Sisters "Little Liza Jane"
Dead Moon "Dead Moon Night" (Echoes of the Past)
Lebenon Junior High School "Cheers Theme Song" (band Chorus Chorale Encores, New Hampshire)
Sarada and Rabindranath "You Are" (Love Serve Remember)
The Ramones "Danny Says" (End of the Century)
The Beat "Click Click" (I Just Can't Stop It)
Irma Thomas "It's Raining" 
H.P. Lovecraft "Mobius Trip" (H.P. Lovecraft II)
Joe Tripoli Jr. "The Hustle" (Disco Sickness, WFMU)
Zimbabwe Legit "Doin' Damage in My Native Language [Shadow's Legitimate Remix]" (Doin' Damage in My Native Language 12")

All Request Show

or CLICK HERE FOR MP3

An all-request music show via an electronic hookup of the Gil-board.

PLAYLIST
Artist/ Song Title / Album (when info available)

Sea Train "Let the Duchess No" (Sea Train*) 
Sammy Marshall "Jingle Mint Twist" (WFMU Song-poem archives 5)
Floyd Cramer "Fancy Free" (Floyd Cramer and His Keyboard Kickband)
Floyd Cramer "Rhythym of the Rain" (Floyd Cramer and His Keyboard Kickband)
Longshot Country/ Lynda Buzard "Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine"  
       (The Ponderosa Hotel Presents Longshot Country)
Ernie Barton "Man with a Heart of Gold" (Movin' On: Memphis Rock N' Roll)
Ernie Barton "The Ballad of Earl K. Long" (Movin' On: Memphis Rock N' Roll)
The Four Preps "26 Miles"
Perfect Panpipes "Time After Time" (Perfect Panpipes, Malaysian CD)
Sandy Nelson "Junior Jive" (Teenage Dance Party)
Perfect Panpipes "Theme from Midnight Cowboy" (Perfect Panpipes, Malaysian CD)
Mirabai "Gita Song" (Love Serve Remember)
Guru Blanket "Kyrie Elison" (Love Serve Remember)
The New Vaudeville Band "Winchester Cathedral" (Winchester Cathedral)
The Cote Family "Never Be Lonely Again" (Somebody Help Me Praise Him!)
Michael Hurley "Knockando" (Ancestral Swamp)


*As opposed to their second album, titled Seatrain, one word.

Toppers 7/31/2012: "Burkey Turger"

or CLICK HERE FOR MP3

It's an hour of commercially-sponsored radio from the women's healthy fast-food chain, Burkey Turger.

Featured music on this episode, in order of appearance:

Artist/ Song Title / Album (when info available)

Lonnie Donegan "Love is Strange"
Gianni Marchetti "Bali Street" (L'Occhio Selvaggio Soundtrack)
Mike and Wally "Richard and Me" (Mike and Wally Live)
Jean-Jacques Perrey "Gossipo Perpetuo"
Sandy Nelson "Quite a Beat"
Peter and Gordon "Knight in Rusty Armour" (Knight in Rusty Armour)
Steve Ellis and the Starfires "Her Face" (Steve Ellis and the Starfires)
Sea and Cake "Sporting Life" (The Fawn)
"Pyar Mein Jeena" (DJ Smokestack Presents Shitala)
Torrent & Alexander "Hawaiian War Chant" (Akaka Falls)
Chumbawamba "Tubthumper" (Tubthumper)
Curtis Mayfield "Think" (Super Fly)
The Rose Garden "Next Plane to London"(The Rose Garden)

Toppers 7/24/2012: "Birding"

or CLICK HERE FOR MP3

July 24th episode of  'Toppers, with a distinct ornithological theme. 

Featured music on this episode, in order of appearance: 

Artist/ Song Title / Album (when info available)

Sly & the Family Stone, "Somebody's Watching You" (Stand!)
Gil Scott-Heron "We Almost Lost Detroit" (Bridges)
Keith "Hey 98.6"
Sandy Nelson "Teen Beat" (Teen Beat)
Black Sabbath "Paranoid" (Paranoid)
Ike & Tina Turner "Unlucky Creature" (Come Together)
Ben Tate "You Insulted Me"
The Fleetwoods "Serenade of the Bells" (Mr. Blue)
Chad Morgan "No Night Out in the Jail" (Australian Country Classics: Chad Morgan)
Staffan Abeleen Quintet "Mr. Minor" (Between or Beyond the Northern Lights)
Ben Tate "Betty-Sue"
Pink, Plastic and Panties "Bla-bla-bla" 
Crosby Stills and Nash "Our House" (Deja Vu)
Lambchop "King of Nothing Never" (What Another Man Spills)

'Toppers 7/17/2012: "Toppers Celebrates Joseph Biden"

or CLICK HERE FOR MP3

'Toppers celebrates, alongside America itself, the stupendously, monumentally overwhelming Vice-Presidency of Jospeh Biden. Featuring patriotic music from all corners of the globe (except Africa, Asia and Europe).

"Encuentros" 7/10/2012

CLICK HERE TO HEAR SHOW

Learn Spanish with Encuentros on this week's episode of 'Toppers.

Features music from Sparks, Sammi Smith, The Central Line, The Coughs, Lydia Mendoza, Michael Hurley, Sammi Smith (again), Sun Ra, Bernard Herrmann, Stevie Wonder, and Odyssey.

A Warm and Friendly Place

Or for direct download of mp3 please CLICK HERE

Pretty much all music this show, very little else.

Suncony!

Or download direct here: https://ia600303.us.archive.org/7/items/ToppersRadioProgram62612suncony/Toppers6262012.mp3

Features excerpts from the bestselling novel-in-progress Bow Wow P.O.W. as well as lots of fine music.

"Symptoms of Withdrawal" 6/19/2012

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

A disappointing show for Gil as he deals with a dreadful addiction.

Features music from Bonnie Graham, Helene Smith with her soulful non-hit "A Woman Will Do Wrong," Dick and DeeDee, Ariel Pink, the Browns, the Cookies, Ron Davis (AKA Rodd Keith), an unknown Indian artist on the "DJ Smokestack Presents Shitala" compilation, Good Times Jam Band, the Penetrators, The Everly Brothers, Steve Fisk, The MSR Singers (Rodd Keith in disguise, again), Good Times Jam Band (again) with their "Making Babies in a Turkish Village," De La Soul, El Resplanador, The Chiffons, Kleenex (a good, simple video for the song located here), Sodsai Chaengki, and the Fleetwoods.

"They Called Her Misty" 6/12/2012

or CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

A heartbreaking program of 'Toppers, featuring the first installment of the public service announcement "The Enviro-Second." Archived at a slightly lower quality than usual, sorry for any tinniness.

Features music by Luv, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffitti, Archie Bell and the Drells, the Kinks, John Barry, New Palestine Girls Glee Club, Rodd Keith, Michael Hurley, the Fleetwoods, ELO, Nilsson, Plastic People of the Universe, Homer & Jethro, the Supreme Dicks, and the Monkees with this week's topper "The Porpoise Song."

'Toppers Show of June 5th Lost to the Ages

Due to a recording snafu, the Toppers program of June 5th was aired live (to an audience of one) and then lost forever to the sands of internet-time. Hopefully next week's program will go better!

"Celebrating May 1st" 5/1/2012

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

It's a rainy Tuesday afternoon in the greater Boston area. A staid, relaxed program featuring contemporary casual chartbusters from:

-Brazilian chanteuse Elis Regina!
-Sir Paul McCartney!
-H H H?
-classic Trojan ska band The Uniques!
-The Caravelles!
-African-American Texas singers The Angelina Quartet with their beautiful "When I was a Little Boy"
-James Brown!
-Elis Regina (again)!
-The Incredible String Band!
-Chiemi Eri and the Tokyo Cuban Boys!
-Ralph Pierce with his version of "Disco Duck" (this week's #1)!
-psychedelic pi-o-neers Frumious Bandersnatch!
-French neo-garage troll Messer Chups!
-The Downtowners with a song-poem penned by the one and only Rodd Keith!
-Piero Piccioni!
-and, finally, the Tammys with their hyperactive "Part of Growing Up." They were a girl group under Lou Christie's wing, who released a number of great singles in the mid 1960s. Their recordings were unearthed in the excellent and already-rare 2001 British import CD Egyptian Shumba: The Singles and Rare Recordings 1962-1964. More of their songs can be found on Youtube: Egyptian Shumba    Gypsy (Tea Leaves)   .

 There with be a month of repeats at BFR while Gil trots the globe. 'Toppers will return in June. Thanks for listening!

"The Land Beyond Space and Time" 4/24/2012

or CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!

This week's show is broadcast is live from the Sew-fisticated fabric store in Cambridge, Massachusetts. An exceptionally unusual show. Duration: 59:06.

"Disco World War 2" 4/17/2012

 CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!

This week's 'Topper: The Corley Family with "Give the World a Smile." Focus on disco music. Features another rewarding and educational ride on the Jazz Train. Duration: 59:56. Please note: There is a few seconds of silence at the beginning of the mp3.

Iffy Infomercials

or CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO FILE

This week's 'Topper is Jimmy Dean with "PT. 109."

Episode features good old music from Tom Tom Club, The South Central Bell Corporation, Teri Thornton, The Disney Corporation, The Beatnuts, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Cheetahmen II, Ralph Lowe, Cocoa Brovaz, The Silkie, Salt N' Pepa, Rodd Keith (AKA Rod Rodgers), Nazz, Gerry Mulligan, CAN, Isadore Fertel, Karmello Brooks, Lou Christie and the Tammys, and Chi-Ali. Focus on hop-hop and commercial music. Hot rhymez from your host, too.

"My Moldy Bongos.com" 4/3/2012

 CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO FILE

Song-poems, bongos, and the very first episode of the popular children's radio mini-program "Hot Blood Dinosaurs"! Listen anytime, 24/7!

Good old music from Usha Khanna, Vicious Pink, the BBC show "Are You Being Served?," Perrey & Kingsley, Jack Kittel, Space Walrus, Television Personalities, Pete Drake and His Singing Guitar, Terry and the Librettos, Gene Marshall, Boyd Rice and Frank Tovey, and Main Source. Features an informative audio clip towards the end of the show, "Dress for $ucess." It's Frederick Ng's blockbusting business motivation seminar Dad Rich, Poor You, available for purchase on Amazon.com.

"March Madness" 3/27/2012

CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO FILE

Listen anytime, 24/7! Good music from this time: Bollywood music (provided by Tennessee), The Copper Family, Joe Meek, Bernadette Castro, Donovan, Electric Light Orchestra, Apollo 100, Rod Stewart, Morgan Fisher, The Browns, Nice & Smooth, De La Soul, The MSR Singers, Lou Reed, and Raymond Scott.

Toppers is now on Boston Free Radio

'Toppers theme song available now for your listening pleasure 24/7, via Archive.org:

TOP OF THE POPS!

Check out the show Tuesdays at 3PM on Boston Free Radio.