smiths

Once I heard the news of Queen Elizabeth’s death on Thursday morning, I knew I had to dump my planned broadcast for this week. Surely I could put together a show that both celebrates and criticizes not only the monarchy but the entire country. For me, the quintessential British rock band is The Kinks. There may be better bands from that country (name them!) but nobody captures that country like the writings of Ray Davies. Same with The Jam and The Clash a decade later, or Billy Bragg, The Smiths, Robyn Hitchcock, and mny others a decade after that. Pairing a few highlights of those artists with some samplings of the great British punk movement of the late 70s, and you have two hours of fantastic British tributes…even if a couple of the artists are actually American.  I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them […]