Living Stereophonic High Fidelity

When Hear It Wow first broadcast on Labor Day weekend in 2006, there were two stereo demos included in the show. One of them, The ABCs of High Fidelity, remains one of my very favorite record finds. You can get that from WFMU right now.

As the show moves into its third year, I'm celebrating tonight with two hours of stereo demos. For the collectors out there, these albums fall into one of four categories, listed in my order of preference:

1. Album-length or side-length promotion
2. Brief narratives mixed with catalog tracks
3. Catalog tracks designed to push your system to its limits (Admiral put out a lot of these, as did Zenith)
4. Stereo test records

Nobody wants to listen to stereo test records. They're meant for calibration, not listening. Sometimes an interesting catalog track turns up on those albums that push your system, but most of what's on them is aimed at the audiophile crowd and freely available on other albums.

That leaves groups one and two, selections from which I'll be offering tonight, including an actual Admiral demo and one from Decca. As we all get used to HDTV, it's interesting to go back and hear the last major transforming event in home entertainment. These albums were meant to push the excitement of stereo, which was new in the home a mere 50 years ago, and many of the same advertising techniques used to make us salivate over flat-screen LCD TVs were used to push stereo on consumers.

If you're in the Boston area, it's 91.5 FM. If you're online, visit wmfo.org for the free Web streams. The show can also be heard directly through iTunes under the Radio>Public link.

Fun with Records

If you're in the Lowell, Massachusetts, area, pay a visit to RRRecords on Central Street and don't let the simple exterior fool you. This place is packed floor to ceiling with a very well-organized selection of vinyl at good prices, some of which will find its way onto the WMFO airwaves tonight.

I've got a new Js with Jamie track that I'm playing early, so tune in at 7PM to 91.5 FM in Boston or listen free online at WMFO.org. Some past summer hits are also in the mix, and we'll learn how to play a better golf game, just in time for the last warm days of summer.

You'll also want to grab An Introduction to Quadraphonic Sound from the nice folks over at WFMU.

Speaking of stereo demos, Hear It Wow is about to turn 3, and in keeping with years past, I'll be playing nothing but stereo demos next week. I've added a few new ones to the collection, and you'll hear them on August 27. Look for details on what I'll be playing next week.

Special Guest Kris Earle in Studio

If you're not listening to Kris Earle's "Time Travel" on WMFO, every Wednesday from 5 to 7, just before my show, coincidentally, then you're missing some fun radio. Kris never fails to put together an interesting mix of tracks, and fans of Back to the Future will dig the breaks.

Kris caught the thrift-store record bug from Yrs Truly, and he pops by my show every now and again to trot out his latest finds. He'll be doing that tonight from 7 to 9 PM, so even more than usual, I have no idea what will be played on the show, apart from some deep cuts from Issac Hayes. Don't forget that you can use the "What's on WMFO" feature to keep track of what we're playing on the station.

Freeform radio junkies should get on over to WFMU's Beware of the Blog to grab a copy of Programmer's Digest and hear what radio stations had to say about radio back in 1973.

Get Down and Save, Disco Lady

You Won't Know (the lowest price) 3:41

What's got a great groove and a catchy if repetitive chorus? Mel's Motown Disco Bumpers, that's what. I don't know what Mel's selling, but if I can dance to it, I don't care. That's Mel in the hard hat and the disco linens striking the appropriate Travolta pose.

Everything else about this one is a mystery. Who is Mel? Why is he "building up a big, big name by treating people well?" Was this advertising jingle so popular that it burned up local charts in 1978?

It doesn't matter. The music's pumping. The dance floor is lighting up, and another disco love affair is waiting near the bar. Maybe someone in Michigan remembers, and would be kind enough to comment.

Days of Wine and Records

Time to inject some culture and civility into your summer. First, head off to WFMU's blog to grab a copy of the eminently entertaining The Joy of Wine. Then you can visit Life123.com to get some in-depth articles on your favorite varietals.

Keep the wine handy for tonight's broadcast, which looks to be heavy on the spoken word, with a disco clothing commercial, some short cuts for DJs and my favorite songs about booze thrown into the mix. That happens from 7-9PM on WMFO, whether you're online or using a radio in the Boston area. Check the Hear It Now box on this page to get the free streaming links.

And don't forget that you can use the new What's on WMFO box to keep tabs on what I'm playing. Just hit Refresh to get the current song.

New Look, New Functions

Here, at last, is a newer incarnation of the Hear It Wow blog. Lighter, better organized, and with a fun new feature. There's still work to do, but it's rebuilt enough to move forward.

The template is a modification of Plantilla Blogy by Blog and Web. It works well with the new Blogger format, and I've made a few modifications to tie it back to the radio/vinyl theme. Who knew that THE LT SOUND DEMO ALBUM would prove so useful?

Here's what's new:

• Links: Those links at the top of the page will take you to some very important places in my life. Facebook coming soon.
• Feeds: Now you can click and add the RSS feed of the blog to your favorite reader.
• What's on WMFO: Spinitron provides a live RSS feed of whatever we log at the station. When I'm on the air, you can use this to see what I'm playing.
• Labels: The remaining MP3s have been recategorized, making it easy for you fans of Disco Oddites, MUZAK, and The Greater Bostonians to skip straight to the good stuff.

I'll be adding more functions in the coming week, so check back to see what's new.

Attention Collectors
If you're in Harvard Square, be aware that Cheapo Records on Mass. Ave. in Central Square has copies of George Harrison's ELECTRONIC MUSIC and WONDERWALL MUSIC. Both are on the rare side, and they're priced accordingly. You won't find these on CD, or on the shelves in most record stores.