That odd, outmoded way of signaling via smokestack, came alive last week in the announcement from Vatican City. That its new occupant was from Chicago promoted songs about that toddlin’ town as well as smoke.
Devoted a lot of songs to what would have been the 97th birthday of Burt Bacharach (he only made it to 94) with songs from Love, The Beatles, The Stranglers and The White Stripes as well as Dionne Warwick, Gene Pitney, Aretha Franklin and Elvis Costello.
It was also the day such great producers as Norman Whitfield, Henry Cosby and Gordon Jenkins; country whiz Joe Maphis, James Purify, Ivan Král and two Ians — Dury and McLagen. And Steve Winwood is 77.
Here’s the set list:
Capital Radio. May 12,. 2025 1 – 4:28 p.m. www.cygnusradio.com
“Washington, D.C.,” The Magnetic Fields
“Black Smoke (No Pope),” Joe Pernice
“Smoke Signal,” The Band
“Big Black Smoke,” The Kinks
“Smoke,” Ben Folds Five
“Smokestack Lightnin,’” Howlin’ Wolf
“Smoke,” Alejandro Escovedo
“Smoke Detector,” Rilo Kiley
“Bottle of Smoke,” The Pogues
“Need You Around,” Smoking Popes
“Born in Chicago,” Paul Butterfield Blues Band
“Chicago Calling,” The Atwood Combo
“Chicago,” Sufjan Stevens
“Sweet Home Chicago,” Robert Johnson
“2120 South Michigan Avenue,” The Rolling Stones
“Via Chicago,” Wilco
“Say Hello to Chicago,” Neil Young
“Chicago Breakdown,” Louis Armstrong
“Chicago Cottage,” The Mirage
“Chicago at Night,” Spoon
“Chicago,” The Spring Standards
“On a Freezing Chicago Street,” Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s
“Chicago,” Tom Waits
“Chicago,” Screeching Weasel
“My Little Red Book,” Love
“Baby it’s You,” The Beatles
“Trains and Boats and Planes,” Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas
“What’s New Pussycat? “ Tom Jones
“Don’t Make Me Over,” Dionne Warwick
“Make It Easy on Yourself,” The Walker Brothers
“(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance,” Gene Pitney
“Walk on By,” The Stranglers
“(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me,” Sandie Shaw
“I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself,” The White Stripes
“(They Long to Be) Close to You,” The Cranberries
“I Say a Little Prayer,” Aretha Franklin
“God Give Me Strength,” Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach
“You’re My Everything,” The Temptations
“Papa as a Rollin’ Stone,” The Temptations
“Smiling Faces Sometimes,” Undisputed Truth
“Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3,” Ian Dury and the Blockheads
“Dim Lights Thick Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music),” Joe Maphis & Rose Lee Maphis
“Love Child,” Diana Ross & the Supremes
“I’m Your Puppet,” James and Bobby Purify
“Ask the Angels,” Patti Smith Group
“Three Button Hand Me Down,” Faces
“Can’t Find My Way Home,” Blind Faith
“It Had to Be You,” Harry Nilsson
“It Was a Very Good Year,” Frank Sinatra
Capital Radio returns May 19 at 1 p.m. EDT 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.
