22 December 2023
24 December 2023, Christmas Eve
Edition 761, Valley Sunrise
Today’s Playlist:
Hour 1:
Bruce Woodley – With My Swag On My Shoulder
Eamonn Jackson – Tonight Carmen
Bill & Boyd – Santa Never Made It Into Darwin (1975)
(For uninitiated readers, this song was written after the city of Darwin was destroyed early Christmas Day, 1974.)
Victoria Eman – Here In Christmas Town (2023)
Robert Goulet – I Remember You
Brian May & ABC Melbourne Showband – Till There Was You
NEW! Larissa Tormey – In The Bleak Midwinter (2023)
New Zealand Maori Chorale with Wiki Baker – Po Atarau (See On This Day below.)
Bette Midler – Tenderly
The Billboard Top 20 Tracks of 1960 – No 15: Marty Robbins – El Paso (1960)
Warren Kearney – Christmas Our Way (2023)
101 Strings – 59th Street Bridge Song
Hour 2:
Tony Clarke – Hallelujah It’s Christmas (2023)
By Request: Boney M – Mary’s Boy Child
By Request: John Lennon – Happy Christmas War Is Over
By Request: Cats & Dogs – Jingle Bells
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band – Early Morning Train (1969)
By Request: Foster & Allen – Rose Of My Heart
By Request: Ray Conniff Singers – The Little Drummer Boy
Daryl Wayne Dasher – Buckaroo Christmas Eve
Maurie & Marty Fields – An Aussie Bush Christmas
Bucko & Champs – The North Wind
Merilyn Steele – Merry Christmas Anyway
On This Day:
1953 New Zealand’s worst-ever railway disaster occurred after the pylons of the Tangiwai railway bridge were weakened by a lahar, or flash flood in the Whangaehu River, only minutes before the Wellington – Auckland overnight express was to cross.
A passing motorist attempted to warn the train driver as the train approached, but although the driver applied the emergency brakes, the train could not be stopped in time and the bridge collapsed beneath its weight. Of 285 passengers and crew aboard, 151 were lost.
To all my regular – and irregular – listeners, thanks for your support and have a great Christmas. Other TYGA-FM volunteers are staffing the studio around the clock from now, through to midnight Boxing Day (26th). Please support them also, by giving them a phone call, or by requesting a favourite track. The phone number is 6261 2000.
Thanks also to Ian MacPhee and Paul Meagher of community radio CFEP Seaside FM in Eastern Passage, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; also Ron Bickle of CFTA Radio Tantramar, Amherst, Nova Scotia, for their valuable work with Music Unlimited through this year and past years.
You can hear Music Unlimited between 6.00 and 7.00 every Sunday morning, in Australia ONLY on TYGA-FM 98.9.
22 December 2023
Edition 396, Friday Morning Radio
Today’s Playlist
Hour 1:
Tommy B – Bed Of Roses (2021)
Mountain Rio – Rockabilly Christmas (2023)
Tom Curtain – When The Rain Comes Down (2023)
Bruce Mackay – Schoey and Jess (2023)
Angus Gill & Melinda Schneider – Don’t Get Your Tinsel In A Tangle (2022)
By Request: Elvis Presley & Sara Evans – Silent Night
Tito Lecuona & His Orchestra – Frenesi
Grady Martin & His Slewfoot Five – He’ll Have To Go
Acoustic Bloom – Christmas Eve (2023)
Andre Kostelanetz – Games That Lovers Play
(Born this day 1901 in St Petersburgh, Russia – Andre Kostelanetz, American popular orchestra conductor and arranger, a pioneer of easy listening music. Kostelanetz was known for arranging and recording light classical pieces for mass audiences, and orchestral versions of songs and show tunes from Broadway. Over 50 million of his recordings were sold and his works became staples of beautiful music radio stations. Died 1980.)
Brothers Four – And I Love Her
60 Year Diamond Classic: Bing Crosby – Do You Hear What I Hear (1963)
60 Year Diamond Classic: Jerry Vale – Camelot (1963)
Billy Joel – My Life
Hour 2:
Tommy Fleming & Irish Concert Orchestra – The Boxer
Cowboy Bob Wallace – Christmas O Christmas (2023)
Victoria Eman – Here In Christmas Town (2023)
They Don’t Make Them Like This Anymore: Eddie Cochran – Sittin’ In The Balcony (1957)
Bee Gees – Spicks And Specks (1966)
(Born this day 1949 in Douglas, Isle of Man – Twins, Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb, musicians and singer-songwriters, of the Bee Gees, together with their brother Barry. The trio got their start in Australia, found major success in England. (Maurice died 12 Jan 2003 age 53; Robin died 20 May 2012 age 62.)
Shaza Leigh – Why I Love December (2023)
Lindsay Waddington – A Magical Christmas (2022)
Texettes – Land That We Love (2023)
Ames Brothers – Melodie D’Amour (1957)
(Died this day 2007 in 2007 Hesse, Germany – Joseph Urick, alias Joe Ames, of the very popular 1950s singing quartet the Ames Brothers, who had million selling hits such as The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane, You You You, Tammy and Melodie D’Amour. Aged 86)
ABBA – Another Town Another Train (1973)
Margot Eskens – Auch Matrosen Haben Heimweh
Hour 3:
Abby Grace – Heavy Mental (2023)
Mary Gantley – Burning Love (2023)
Richard Mulligan – Christmas In Cantubber
Slim Dusty – Christmas On The Station
Richard Chamberlain – Three Stars Will Shine Tonight (1962)
Larissa Tormey – Special Christmas (2019)
Seekers – Building Bridges (1989)
Isla Grant – Flying High
60 Year Diamond Classic: Trini Lopez – Kansas City (1963)
60 Year Diamond Classic: Shadows – Geronimo (1963)
Toni Fisher – West Of The Wall (1961)
Glenn Levi – Christmas In Australia (2022)
Amber Lawrence – Aussie Aussie Christmas
* Diamond Classics are tracks which were released on 45 rpm singles, and which were charting in Hobart, on this day 60 years ago.
ON THIS DAY (22 December):
1943 Hobart, Tasmania – The floating concrete pontoon bridge across the Derwent between Hobart and Bellerive was opened. Crossing it was subject to a toll payment, which was discontinued on 31 December 1948. This was the first bridge of it’s type in the world and remained in use until the opening of the Tasman Bridge on 17 August 1964.
1964 Palmdale, California, U.S.A. – The first flight of the SR-71 Blackbird aircraft took place. This was an advanced, long range, Mach 3+ reconnaissance aircraft, which operated at high speeds and altitudes to allow it to outrace threats. If an approaching missile was detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate. The SR-71 was in service with the U.S. Air Force until 1998, during which time, 12 of the 32 aircraft were destroyed in accidents, but none were lost to hostile action.