Succumbing to the holidays starts with putting up the tree, so there was a 21-song salute on today’s Capital Radio to growing, cutting , trucking, choosing, lighting, decorating and otherwise trimming them, as they say. There were tunes about tiny trees, topping trees, and getting stuff beneath them, too.
There was time for a half dozen snowmen songs, only some of which had to do with Frosty.
We began the show by noting the birthdays of Donald Byrd, Dan Hicks, Joan Armatrading, Donny Osmond and Neil Innes of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and The Rules. Also, bluesman Junior Wells, bassist Dennis Dunaway of Alice Cooper and Walter “Clyde” Orange of the Commodores,
We also noted the recent passings of Leah Kunkel and pop star and producer Steve Alaimo as well.
Here’s a link to the whole show; the setlist follows:
Capital Radio December 9, 2024 1 – 4:24 p.m. www.cygnusradio.com
“Capital Radio Two,” The Clash
“Rock Creek Park,” The Blackbyrds
“Walking in Rhythm,” The Blackbyrds
“From Silver Lake,” Jackson Browne
“Handy Man,” James Taylor
“If I Could Build My Whole World Around,” Leah Kunkel
“Every Day I Have to Cry,” Steve Alaimo
“Why Can’t We Live Together,” Timmy Thomas
“Rock Your Baby,” George McCrae
“I Scare Myself,” Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks
“”I’m an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grand),” Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks
“Moody Richard (The Innocent Bystander),” Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks
“Me, Myself I,” Joan Armatrading
“(I Love It When You) Call Me Names,” Joan Armatrading
“Eighteen,” Alice Cooper
“School’s Out,” Alice Cooper
“Messin’ With the Kid,” Junior Wells’ Chicago Blues Band
“One Bad Apple,” The Osmonds
“Nightshift,” The Commodores
“Hello Mabel,” Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
“Beautiful Zelda,” Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
“I’m the Urban Spaceman,” Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
“My Little Ukulele,” The Rutles
“Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?” Dean and Britta and Sonic Boom
“Johnny Tannenbaum,” The Minus 5 with Kelly Hogan and Norah O’Connor
“River,” Joni Mitchell
“Truckin’ Trees for Christmas,” Red Simpson
“Crooked Tree,” Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
“I Am a Tree,” Guided by Voices
“An Old-Fashioned Tree,” Gene Autry, The Cass County Boys, the Pinafores & Carl Cotner’s Orchestra
“Put the Lights on the Tree,” Sufjan Stevens
“Hang Them on the Tree,” June Christy
“Trim Your Tree,” Jimmy Butler with the Blues Express Orchestra
“O Christmas Tree,” Rhonda Vincent
“Tiny Tree Christmas,” Guster
“Little Christmas Tree,” Michael Jackson
“One Little Christmas Tree,” Stevie Wonder
“Let Me Hang Your Stockings in Your Christmas Tree,” Roosevelt Sykes
“My Christmas Tree,” The Temptations
“You’re the Angel On My Christmas Tree,” Faron Young
“Got to Get You Under My Tree,” Sonny Landreth with The Dixie Cups
“Underneath the Tree,” Kelly Clarkson
“Yah Das Ist Ein Christmas Tree,” Mel Blanc
“Barcarola (You Must Be a Christmas Tree),” Sufjan Stevens
“Like a Snowman,” Tracey Thorn
“Snowman,” Sia
“Lovecraft Technologies / Frosty the Snowman,” Corporal Blossom
“Snowman,” XTC
“Snowman Magic,” Dwight Twilley
“Frosty the Snowman,” Esquivel
“Peace Frog,” The Doors
Capital Radio returns Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. ET on www.cygnusradio.com. The show can also be heard via the cygnusradio.com app, available free at iTunes or GooglePlay. Older shows are available at Substack.com/@rogercatlin.
