11/13/09 – “The Last Time”

“The Last Time”

This week, The Friday Night Cat Fight returns to its original format.  The shows will now focus more on the Cat Fight itself and less on a “theme”.  There will still be long-form shows from time to time, but they will now be separate from the weekly Friday Night Cat Fights.

This week, we take a rock n’ roll classic from the Rolling Stones, “The Last Time” from 1965 and trace it back to its gospel roots.  Listen to the show to determine which version of the song you truly DIG THE MOST and then vote for it.  Also, this week, there is a 2nd poll asking whether or not The Stones completely ripped-off The Staple Singers’ gospel tune OR did they rewrite it and make it their own?  You decide and please, VOICE YOUR CHOICE over “The Last Time”.

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10/30/09 – Halloween 3 – Death By Teenage!

Death By Teenage – Teen Tragedy Songs From The 50s and 60s!

Death By Teenage was a feature that I used to run every Halloween night on my old XM Radio Show, “The Night Prowl”. Each year, I examined this sub-genre of rock n’ roll chart phenomenon. Most of these songs were huge records and the writers and artists just kept pumping them out. It wasn’t enough that many of these songs featured love tortured teens dying in car crashes, no no, they soon added plane crashes, train crashes, shark encounters and even lightning strikes. All of these teens share one comonality, they all suffered “DEATH BY TEENAGE!”

So let’s listen to some of the greatest, melodramatic teenage tragedy songs ever recorded. You’ll here 2 by Ray Peterson and Dickey Lee. Songs by The Shangri-Las, Cathy Carroll and Johnny Cymbal will also be featured.

Then, vote below for your all-time favorite teenage tragedy tune. Vote for “Other”, if yours is not listed and tell us why you voted in the “comments” section.

Get ready to cry until you laugh…it’s “Death By Teenage!”

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10/23/09 – Halloween Pt. 2 – Monsters You Know (I Put A Spell On You)

Because you’re mine…

HALLOWEEN 2

Pop Culture Monsters (Drac, Frank, Wolfie & Mummy)

We celebrate part 2 of my 3 part podcast series on Halloween with many of the monsters and creatures you know from pop culture.  We’ll hear rare songs about Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman and The Mummy.  You’ll hear ghoulishly groovy tunes from The Hollywood Flames, The Edgar Winter Group, John Zacherle and The Calvanes.

Vote for your favorite version of the classic, “I Put A Spell On You” and don’t miss next week’s final part in the series, “Death By Teenage”.

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10/16/09 – Halloween Pt. 1 – Creatures & Monsters (Monster Mash)

It Was A Graveyard Smash…

HALLOWEEN 1

Creature & Monster Songs

Welcome to part one of my three part Halloween series of themed podcasts.  We begin this very popular theme with songs about creatures and monsters.  You’ll hear frightful favorites from The Jayhawks, Dave Edmunds, John Zacherle and Bo Diddley.  Plus, a never before heard interview that I did with the now late great Bobby “Boris” Pickett.  I was only 15 years old when I got the chance to interview him and he was a true gentleman.

VOTE for your favorite version of the Halloween classic “Monster Mash” and get ready for more tricks and treats on next week’s show.

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10/2/09 – Chicken Songs (Little Red Rooster)

Chicken Baby Chicken…

Bird Songs Part 2

Chicken Songs

The “bird” theme continues on this week’s Podcast with songs about “Chickens”.  These songs are about chickens as birds, as food and also the dance.  You’ll hear groovy tunes by Cab Calloway, Amos Milburn, Lighnin’ Slim and The Rolling Stones.

This week’s Cat Fight is between Howlin’ Wolf and Sam Cooke over the classic blues tune, “The (Little) Red Rooster”.  Dig on the show and then vote for your favorite version below.

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9/25/09 – Bird Songs (Birdland)

We like Birdland…

BIRD SONGS

This week’s Friday Night Cat Fight is truly for the birds!  I’m featuring a full hour of songs about “birds”.  You’ll hear classic tunes from Les Paul & Mary Ford, The Beatles, Ersel Hickey, Leonard Cohen and many more.  However, there will be NO songs about chickens or songs that refer to airplanes as “birds”.

Vote for your favorite version of “We Like Birdland” as Huey Smith battles Chubby Checker on this week’s “world famous” Cat Fight!

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9/11/09 – Summer Obit Tributes (Those Oldies But Goodies)

…Remind Me Of You

Summer

Obit

Tribute Show

This week, The Friday Night Cat Fight Podcast focuses on those who left us during the past couple of months.  I’ve prepared little 2 song tributes to Billy Lee Riley, Johnny Carter, Sam Butera, Koko Taylor, Ellie Greenwich and Les Paul.  You can read my written obits for all these great artist by clicking on my “Prowlin’ With Matt The Cat” Blog.

Since we’re saying goodbye to some “oldies but goodies”, I decided to feature the classic tune from 1961 as this week’s Cat Fight.  Please decide whether you’re in the West Coast camp with Little Caesar & The Romans or the East Coast brigade with Nino & The Ebb Tides and then vote below.

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9/4/2009 – Work Songs For Labor Day (See You In September)

…see you when the summer’s through

Work Songs

Well, it’s Labor Day Weekend again and with summer at an end and work about to pick up, I thought I’d give you a glimpse of some of the jobs out there that might be harder and more uncomfortable than yours (that is if you are currently working).  The feature this week is on “Work Songs” and man we’ve got ’em.  We’ll go from working in a coal mine and working on a chain gang to just trying to find a job and just getting by.  We’ll hear from The Isley Brothers, Nina Simone, Wynonie “Mr. Blues” Harris and many more.  Lee Dorsey even gets 2 songs in this week’s show!

Since September is here, I thought we’d vote on your favorite version of “See You In September”.  Listen to the songs on the podcast and vote for the one you truly dig the most.

And…um…don’t work too hard, baby!

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8/28/09 – Back To School (Hanky Panky)

Summer’s Gone…

Back To School Songs

Well, summer’s gone and no songbirds are singing…time to get BACK TO SCHOOL!  This week all the songs featured in the podcast relate to either going back to school or STAYING in school, because baby you know it’s cool to stay in school!

You’ll hear some classic tunes from Timmie “Oh Yeah” Rogers, Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, James Brown and a lot more.

School just wouldn’t be school without a little “Hanky Panky” and so this week’s Friday Night Cat Fight will put The Raindrops original version of the song up against Tommy James & The Shondells chart-topper.  Also this week, we honor the passing of songwriter Ellie Greenwich and doo wop tenor man Johnny Carter.

So listen, vote and STAY IN SCHOOL!

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8/21/09 – Cadillac Songs (Brand New Cadillac)

Women Want Cadillacs, They Don’t Want No Man…

Cadillac Songs

This week, I’m adding luxury, class and style to the typical car-themed show by dedicated the entire program to songs about Cadillacs.  No other car in American Popular Culture has been more sought after and no other car let’s everyone else around you know that you’ve made it to the “big time”.  You left town in your daddy’s old Ford, but you return in a brand new Cadillac.

You’re gonna hear songs from Bo Diddley, The Ravens, Larry Dowd, Bruce Springsteen and Dizzy Gillespie just to show the variety of styles features on this week’s podcast.

Then, vote for your favorite version of the classic, “Brand New Cadillac” as The Clash take on Vince Taylor.

So get into your Caddy and go…on with the show!

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