Monday 30 March 2009

More stations come on board

I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome all of the fine radio stations who have the good taste to take the show. Welcome to Radio 2.5.2, playing Eastern Carolina's biggest variety of classic rock 'n' roll, Widemusic.com, playing the greatest hits of all time. Norwood Radio, run by Harry Norcliffe, a new station already proving very popular, Trax Online providing the very best music on the Internet, Mighty 1650, another station willing to air a rock show from the UK. Recent stations also now broadcasting the show are 247 Music Radio in Singapore, the English end run by my old friend Paul Turner, the soon to be launched Ace Radio, Ashby Radio Online, Eclipse Net Channel 3, Energy FM in Malta, Flag Radio, Hamilton Radio, Island FM, KIRB,
Radio Max Music, The Wolf Radio, one of only a few hand selected programmes on this station. Shane Variety, X Power Radio and Your Station.
Thank you everyone for joining. And those stations who picked up the show early on, there'll be a separate blog about you later. And for those stations who've decided not to take he show for one reason or another....

Friday 27 March 2009

Soft Rock Classics Show 27th March 2009

As we step into Spring here in the UK, the shutters are down and the fire has been stoked up.Here's this weeks selection of tunes.

1) Flogging Molly - Devil's dance floor
2) Gary Moore & Phil Lynott - Out in the fields
3) Joe Walsh - Rocky mountain way
4) Pat Boone - You've got another thing comin'
5) Blur - Song 2
6) Foo Fighters - Monkey wrench
7) The Verve - Bitter sweet symphony
8) Genesis - Shipwrecked
9) Bush - Swallowed
10) Joanovarc - Silver Sun. New rocking girl band from the UK. www.Joanovarc.com
for details
11) Jo Jo Gunn - Run run run
12) Thin Lizzy - Rosalie
13) Bruce Springsteen - Surprise surprise
14) Sum 41 - Fat lip
15) Cream - Crossroads
16) ZZ Top - Gimme all your lovin'
17) Blue October - Hate me
18) Meat Loaf - Bat out of hell
19) U2 & Luciano Pavarotti - Miss Sarajevo
20) Joe Satriani - Surfing with the alien
21) Fleetwood Mac - Oh well
22) Joanovarc - This way
23) Metallica - For whom the bell tolls
24) Moody Blues - I'm just a singer (in a rock and roll band)
25) Chuck Berry - Roll over Beethoven

Sunday 22 March 2009

So What's Being Played In Our Household?

Hi,

Mrs Forbes here. Just thought I'd stop Dominic's monopolising of the computer long enough to tell you about some of the music currently on our living room turntable.
I'm very picky you see, it's not any old rubbish, and this week I've made a new discovery - The Guess Who.

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, my music knowledge is ever being expanded and in this case I stumbled upon a band whose heyday rested in the late sixties and early seventies.

The band were known under many names including The Reflections and The Expressions.
Their first hit was in 1965 with a cover of Johnny Kidd & The Pirates' "Shakin All Over". The single was released under the name Chad Allan & The Expressions, but, when released in Australia under the Quality record label, the name was changed to "Guess Who?" The record label was trying to add a little mystery to the single, hoping that people would buy it thinking it was a famous band (Like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones) in disguise. We don't really know whether the ploy worked, but the name stuck.

The group became the first Canadian rock act to have a Number 1 in the US, with the single "American Woman".

Since then, the band has disbanded and reformed repeatedly with several different line-ups. What has stayed is the edgy raw sound, accompanied by a more elegant sixties atmosphere which makes them sound quite unique. If I were to liken them to anyone, it would probably be Creedance Clearwater Revival. Good rock, Good vocals, Good Times!

Friday 20 March 2009

Soft Rock Classics Show 21st March 2009

This weeks offering of fine music.
1) Placebo - Nancy boy
2) Focus - Hocus pocus
3) Ocean Colour Scene - The riverboat song
4) Bob Dylan - Tangled up in blue
5) John Lennon - Stand by me
6) The Eagles - One of these nights
7) The Who - Squeeze box
8) Justin Hayward & John Lodge - Blue guitar
9) Rainbow - Man on the silver mountain
10) ACER - Desperation. ACER are a new band from Cambridgeshire. For details,go to www.myspace.com/acerworld
11) New York Dolls - Lookin' for a kiss
12) Rush - Closer to the heart
13) REM - What's the frequency Kenneth?
14) Deep Purple - Hush
15) Free - Wishing well
16) Tom Petty - Refugee
17) ACDC - Whole lotta Rosie
18) Magnum - Just like an arrow
19) The Scorpions - Coast to coast
20) Stryper - Calling on you
21) ACER - Your sympathy
22) Neil Young - Rocking in the free world
23) Rare Bird - Sympathy
24) P.I.L - Rise
25) Atomic Rooster - Tomorrow night

Wednesday 18 March 2009

Your top three faves

A regular feature on the show at the start of hour two is simply playing your three favourite songs of all time. There are some spaces free for upcoming weeks, so make them as varied as possible and send them to dominicforbesesq@yahoo.co.uk

Tuesday 10 March 2009

Cambridge Rock Festival 2009

The new venue is Haggis Farm Polo Club where the festival will be held on 6-7-8-9th August 2009. 250 yards from the M11 / A603 Junction 12 at Cambridge. Bands so far confirmed include the original line up of Asia (Geoff Downes, John Wetton, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer),
Focus, The Quireboys, Mostly Autumn, Barclay James Harvest, Pure Floyd Show and Who's Next. These are the early confirmed bands, more to be announced.
It's a hassle free festival attended by pure music fans who are completely uninfluenced by rubbish about what's fashionable or not.
The Soft Rock Classics Show will b there recording various bits and pieces for future broadcast.
For tickets phone 0845 299 0845or 01353 749749 and have your credit or debit card ready.

Sunday 8 March 2009

Soft Rock Classics Show 14th March 2009

Can we surpass last weeks selection ?
1) Reef - Place your hands
2) Genesis - I know what I like (in your wardrobe0
3) Steve Miller Band - Keep on rocking me
4) The Police - Canary in a coalmine
5) Blondie - Atomic
6) Peter Gabriel - Biko
7) Pat Benatar - Hit me with your best shot
8) Pink Floyd - Another brick in the wall
9) Ozzy Osbourne - Mr Crowley
10) Eddie & The Hotrods - Do anything you wanna do
11) U2 - Get on your boots
12) Grand Funk Railroad - Some kind of wonderful
13) Badfinger - No matter what
14) The Rolling Stones - Tumbling dice
15) Whitesnake - In the still of the night
16) Radiohead - Just
17) Pearljam - Daughter
18) The Clash - London calling
19) Queen and David Bowie - Under pressure
20) The Cranberries - Zombie
21) The Beatles - Don't let me down
22) Michael Penn - No Myths
23) Jeff Lynne - Every little thing
24) Elton John - The bitch is back
25) Free - A little bit of love
26) Weezer -Hash pipe
27) UFO - Lights out

Soft Rock Classics Show 7th March 2009

And this weeks playlist is -
1) Jackson Browne - Running on empty
2) Styx - Renegade
3) Def Leppard - Photograph
4) Green Day - Wake me up when September ends
5) Evanescence - My immortal
6) Marillion - Fantastic place
7) Aerosmith - Jaded
8) ACDC - Money talks
9) Janis Joplin - Me and Bobby McGee
10) Don Henley - Dirty laundry
11) Bowling For Soup - 1985
12) Spin Doctors - Little miss can't be wrong
13) UFO - Only you can rock me
14) Doors - Break on through (to the other side)
15) Nirvana - Heart shaped box
16) Black Sabbath - NIB
17) Guns 'N' Roses - There was a time
18) Kings Of Leon - Sex on fire
19) Iron Maiden - The wicker man
20) Robert Palmer - Doctor doctor (bad case of loving you)
21) Heart - What about love
22) Queen - Love of my life
23) Status Quo - Living on an island

Saturday 7 March 2009

Tommy Vance

6th March is the anniversary of the death of Tommy Vance, without whom the world of rock music would be very much poorer. Between 1978 and 1993, he presented the legendary Friday Rock Show on Radio One. It's hard to believe in this time of the internet and satellite TV, this once a week two hours long programme was the only outlet in the UK for new and classic rock music.
His deep booming voice was the perfect vehicle to introduce his audience to the likes of Maiden, Leppard, Dio, and many more. It was Tommy Vance who introduced me to the music I love above all others and a desire to present music on the radio.
In the 1980's, the DJ with the biggest ego seemed to rule supreme. The only stand outs in this sea of mediocrity was Tommy and John Peel ( later on joined by the returning Johnnie Walker and Roger Scott). These people's interest in appearing on the radio was for the music.
Tommy died of a stroke in 2005, and I still miss him. I was lucky enough to blag an interview with him around 22 years ago. I was 17 years old and had just started in hospital radio.My task was to go out and interview interesting people. Having exhausted the local MP and women's institute, I used the opportunity to interview people I really wanted to meet. Needless to say, he was charming and very patient with my stupid questions.
A friend of mine,Jon Kutner, worked with Tommy, helping to compile the information Tommy used in-between the songs on the Top 40 show.He remembers him as someone with time for everyone, to the executives to the cleaners.
God bless Tommy Vance in rock 'n' roll heaven.