KSHE Classics...let 'em PLAY!!!

The following is a comprehensive 'quick history' with reference material that defines the "KSHE Classics" phenomena. I wrote this originally for a series of compilations I assembled for some music forums I'm active at; the series is still active, and I'm working on number 3 now.

What are KSHE CLASSICS you may ask? Unless you grew up in Midwestern America during an era that encompasses the very late 60s through the mid 80s, you may have no idea. Some music fans on the east or west coast (and in many cases, the south) may have seen inconspicuous bins of very high-priced collectors’ LPs bearing this label at record conventions and wondered “why would anybody pay $20 for a Doucette album?”…

KSHE 95, located in St. Louis, Missouri, was just a tiny dot on the FM map in the sixties when it single-handedly pioneered what is known today as AOR Radio (album-oriented rock), a largely anti-commercial radio format that focused more fairly on any given band’s catalog for airplay than upon Billboard top 40 charts. The local popularity of this format resulted in a wave across the nation (and, subsequently, the WORLD) that systematically shunned record industry data to generate listener interest by showcasing more cryptic matter by bands that were just as important (if not more so) than what was being played on larger stations with better frequencies.

Even during the mid-70s, when AOR was truly in its stride, all parties involved continued to look toward KSHE for inspiration as a template for AOR format success. This format gave us the best of the best, even when they achieved chart and/or commercial success. The list of acts graduating from AOR to mega-stardom is way too long; just think of everything from RUSH to DEEP PURPLE to SAGA to RAINBOW to LOVERBOY to TRIUMPH to MONTROSE and all points in between as a guide. 70s and 80s rock would NOT have happened without the auspicious influence of AOR radio, and KSHE was the definition of this format, from the beginning through modern times, as they still include the “classics” as part of their programme.

While I was growing up, I remember my local AOR station, Y95 (WYFE, Rockford, Illinois) as a shining lynchpin of my rock n roll heart. Never following their example as much as heeding their guidance, this station launched a hundred entries into my youthful record collection, and injected a million solid memories from my childhood and adolescent years from their endless stream of “whos” and “whats” from that era. Y95 came in strong, 24/7, on any radio available back then…but KSHE came in loud and clear mostly at night, when radio interference was lessened. My father’s pimped out hi-fi in the living room picked up the station beautifully (although ambiently fuzzy and staticky) during the evening hours; the reception was good enough for me to rig secondary speakers from the family hi-fi into my basement bedroom just for late-night forays into the KSHE universe.

KSHE had a knack for identifying and exposing bands not only from other states and countries, but also from tapping into the stream of unknown Midwestern rock acts for its airplay. Many years later, as a frequent participant at local record conventions, I found myself selling records (and buying as well) for very high prices when I marked selections in a bin labeled “KSHE CLASSICS”…people from all over who grew up in the area know and love this very special segment of the rock world, and as we all age we ache more and more from that fantastic music and those wonderful feelings of yesterday.

While some KSHE purists have set ‘rules and regulations’ on what IS a KSHE Classic and what ISN’T, I am not that discriminating. What I’ve collected over the years in various formats are KSHE Classics from my perspective. You can find many playlists and information on the internet regarding the vast ocean of these treasures, but everyone’s recollection is a little different. Again, personal taste and experience has something of an influence, but I feel that what I consider "tr00" KSHE Classics doesn’t suffer from any hindrance associated with this.

For more info on KSHE:

KSHE Classics – “Mama Let ‘em Play” –great informative article from the Classic Rock Homepage

KSHE Classics Listing Page –excellent resource and listing with links

Depeche Mode "Speak and Spell" - Music for cookies and milk

I was listening to this album in the car yesterday and, as usual, many memories started popping up. I’m one of those “cursed” with the music/memory paradigm…you know, when you hear a particular song and/or album, you can recall when you first heard it, or what the weather was like, or what you were wearing, or some string of events that may or may not be related…

Depeche Mode’s debut album was originally released in 1981 with 11 tracks. They were one of the ‘original’ Mute Records stable bands (along with Fad Gadget), and were popular initially based on their unique sound and cult following driven by many successful underground club performances. While they were originally signed to Some Bizarre, and recorded a demo for the label, for some reason they went to Mute and the rest is history.

They were hailed at first as “innovative,” but most of us know this simply isn’t true. Where this album is nothing less than a singular masterpiece isn’t dependent upon their originality or any technical ‘innovation’…if anything, the group (and producer/label boss Daniel Miller) deserved a large slap for ripping off and/or gratuitously borrowing elements from the works of Gary Numan, Bowie/Eno, Kraftwerk, and others. What is special about this release is that it is a marvelous representation of boiled, cleaned, and sanitized electronic pop at its infancy; completely void of emotion, classical influence, and personality. Kraftwerk innovated the design and implementation of electronic instruments to demonstrate classical music with a minimalist influence, for example – Schubert, Mozart, et al. David Bowie brought this concept (along with Brian Eno) into the pop music world, but not as pop music, but as vehicles for minimalist and experimental technique coupled with mutated pop elements featured as ‘companion pieces’ within the Bowie/Eno trilogy of albums (“Heroes,” “Low,” and “Lodger”). Numan moved the use of synthesizer from an ‘accent’ instrument (special effect) to a more cohesive ‘band’ instrument (even temporarily replacing the guitar on some albums) with his groundbreaking album “Replicas.”

Depeche Mode wasn’t the first to assemble a combo based entirely upon the use of synthesizers, but their theory and execution was so mechanical and flawless, it was nothing less than a sizable cry into the stratosphere for exploration, and many heard the call. The use of cold, dry, and inhuman weapons to perform routine, freshly passé dance-oriented (disco) music had never been so successful. Their later work presented the same presentation but with more emotion and feeling (although naïve at first, and then nearly condescending and self-indulgent); while albums like “Some Great Reward” are fantastic in their own right, they all pale in comparison to the synthetic and sterilized virtue of “Speak and Spell.”

This is largely due to the fact that co-founder and main songwriter Vince Clarke left the band soon after “Speak and Spell” to become half (or part) of Yazoo, Erasure, and The Assembly. These bands followed the same mold as later Depeche Mode material, where the feeble injection of emotion somehow justified the impulsive use of synthesizers as the ‘main voice’…a puzzling dichotomy. Clarke was also the ‘main thrust’ behind some of Depeche Mode’s earlier naïve homosexual lyric base, popping up in songs like “Boys Say Go!” and “What’s Your Name?”, for starters.

Well, back to MY side of the story now!

My introduction to this band came sometime in 1982 through an article in CREEM magazine (Boy Howdy!) about the ‘New Romantic’ craze in British New Wave…Depeche Mode were featured along with Our Daughter’s Wedding, Ultravox (of whom I was already a fan), Visage, Orchestral Manouvers in the Dark, John Foxx, and Soft Cell (another fave at that time) and a host of others. Subsequently, I came into possession of their material through 2 compilations, via the tracks “Just Can’t Get Enough” and “Dreaming of Me.” In the socially-sequestered burg I lived in at the time, I was unable to obtain their LP, even through my favorite record shop, and enjoyed the band’s work through these two songs alone. I was moderately obsessed with the ‘New Romantics’ movement for a short period of time, and having been a longtime fan of Bowie, Numan, and Kraftwerk, I was genuinely interested (in an elevated sense) in Depeche Mode. The homosexual connotations in their material didn’t sway me at all, where it would have done so for others…I was not ‘that way’ and I could care less. I mean, Depeche Mode (and many of these other bands) were essentially ‘dance music’ and I despised dancing also…music is music. While some genres inherently promote some kind of lifestyle (like the stereotypical rage of drugs, drinking, fighting, sex, etc.) with Depeche Mode’s taste for fashion, homosexuality, and dancing out of the picture for me…ha ha…there’s no other activity left. Their music at this time was so ‘whitebread,’ eating cookies and drinking milk are about the only hedonistic activity that’s comparative for partaking in.

External of my small circle of friends, there was another ‘clique’ that existed, of which I was on more than speaking terms with one fellow, Dan. Dan’s best friend Brian K, I learned, possessed the “Speak and Spell” LP and I went ballistic trying to get a copy. Not wanting to slander Brian K too much (he recently passed away, leaving his wife and kids, and was more than likely a nice guy – you have to remember, the events I’m discussing occurred in the early 80s, during those ‘weird’ high school daze), he was the example of my first encounter with an ‘elitist.’ For unknown reasons, I could not persuade him to tape the LP for me, despite my most furious efforts. Finally, it was through Dan (who was enamored with my sister) that I was able to obtain a copy of the LP and I was, as you can surmise, blown away.

Hearing this now, and at other times, brings back that summer in full bloom. The teenage confusion in my heart, the unnecessary bewilderment about the events in my life, the terminal happiness of my youth and this period of time in particular. Although I finally obtained a copy of the LP in late 1983, the tape is still in my rack (but nearly transparent) and the experience solid. “Speak and Spell” didn’t change my life at all, but it’s one of those musical memory nuggets…I hated the town I lived in, and didn’t understand the relationships I was involved in. Other than a few true friends, most of my peers were mysterious to me and very aloof towards me. I was young; I learned much later that this is pretty much the social makeup of the ages…I wasn’t playing the same game as others, and while I was proud of it and reaped the strength it lent me, I was sad and confused about it at the same time. “Speak and Spell” and it’s nihilistic soundscape was an appropriate soundtrack for that summer, and an example of the cold nature of my peers.

That’s what I feel when I hear it…NIHILISTIC. Bring on the cookies and milk...

Memories of Japan (the GREATEST Summer of my life)

Last week marked the fourth anniversary of my return from my visit to Singapore and Japan, and subsequently, the fourth anniversary of the realized sadness in my life that I’m not there now!

Of course, reality is what it is…could my family and I exist in Japan? It’s probable, but not very likely. I couldn’t exist in Japan without my family, so the likelihood of my ever living there is miniscule. I exist in Japan through my Japanese friends, my non-Japanese friends who will soon be living there teaching English, my memories of my visit there, and my continuous self-induced immersion in as many aspects of Japanese culture as I can identify.

In times of stress and confusion, I have turned to “thoughts of Japan” for years, even before my adventure there. Since my visit, the performance of this stress-reduction strategy has increased tenfold; having been there, lived and breathed every essence of what is nihongo possible during my brief stay, seen, smelled, touched, and tasted the experience of Japan…it’s all had such a profound effect upon my life.

Everybody’s got their quirks, and I’m no different…when the road is rough, nothing says “take it easy, sport” like some enka music, a cup of green tea, and a hot bowl of miso. As much work as it is, I really enjoy Japanese cooking (especially rolling sushi) as a ‘diversion,’ plus my kids always want to participate and I think that’s fantastic. Alternately, a hot bowl of udon and a kool chambara flick is a great ‘diversion’ as well…I get the best of both worlds; feudal Japan and tasty noodles!

Probably one of my favorite Japanese ‘diversions’ is watching tapes of Japanese TV shows, especially the music programs. As my understanding of the Japanese language progresses (and I start to FINALLY recognize some of the characters!), this is a great way to hear some great music, watch some fun performances, and also ‘feel around’ the language as most of the programs post the lyrics at the bottom of the screen.

For years, I had a wallpaper on my desktop at work that was a beautiful picture of Fuji-yama with a neat little red torii at the bottom of the frame, dwarfed immeasurably by the majestic peaks. I put something different up some months ago, but the way things are going now (especially now that I realize it’s been four years since I visited Japan), I think Fuji-yama needs to come back…soon…

BACK...again?!?

In the interest of trying to keep this going...I am once again committing myself to a renewed attempt at updating here once in a while, with some fresh links, and the like.

Since I've increased my frequency in posting on a variety of forums, I've been spending my free time (ha ha) doing that instead of this. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, as far as free time goes.

I've debated the possibility of posting some zip files links here, but don't think I will. If anything, I may post links to some of my KSHE Classics Series (a self-compiled 6-volume retrospective series on the phenomena of the midwest and the advent of AOR rock music). I've been successful at the first two volumes, and now that summer vacations are over, I'll be working on the third soon.

I'm also going to start posting a link to this blog on my sig file at some other forums I participate in, so for those of you seeing this wretched inaudible diary of confusion and mayhem...WELCOME, and please leave some comments. I promise not to ask of you that which you cannot provide, or that will not change the world.

For instance, if you think I should post some links to zipped files, tell me. If you think I'm gay, whatever. If you think I need drugs to make me sane, that's probably the worst idea I could ever entertain.

That's how I roll.