# needle drop — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 3 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover needle drop. Page: Feed: --- ## [🎶 Vinyl & Whiskey](https://thoughtsofanoldguy.wordpress.com/2026/08/19/%f0%9f%8e%b6-vinyl-whiskey-27/) _2026-08-20 · Bill · Thoughts of an Old Man_ Tonights Night’s Record: “Your Wildest Dreams” The whiskey is poured. The room is quiet. Some songs bring the past rushing back. Others simply open the door… and let it walk in. The needle drops… and The Moody Blues begin to sing. “Once upon a time…” Those words alone can take an old man somewhere. Back \[…\] ## [🎶 Vinyl & Whiskey](https://thoughtsofanoldguy.wordpress.com/2026/08/18/%f0%9f%8e%b6-vinyl-whiskey-26/) _2026-08-19 · Bill · Thoughts of an Old Man_ Tonight’s Record: “Another Day in Paradise” The whiskey is poured. The room is quiet. But tonight’s record asks us to listen a little differently. The needle drops… and Phil Collins begins telling a story that isn’t particularly comfortable. “She calls out to the man on the street…” It’s easy to hear a song like this \[…\] ## [🎶 Vinyl & Whiskey](https://thoughtsofanoldguy.wordpress.com/2026/08/17/%f0%9f%8e%b6-vinyl-whiskey-25/) _2026-08-18 · Bill · Thoughts of an Old Man_ Tomorrow Night’s Record: “Just the Way You Are” The whiskey is poured. The record waits. Tonight’s song doesn’t need a complicated introduction. Some songs simply tell the truth. The needle drops… and Billy Joel begins to sing. “Don’t go changing, to try and please me…” When you’re young, you spend a lot of time trying \[…\] ## [🎶 Vinyl & Whiskey](https://thoughtsofanoldguy.wordpress.com/2026/08/16/%f0%9f%8e%b6-vinyl-whiskey-24/) _2026-08-17 · Bill · Thoughts of an Old Man_ Tonight’s Record: “Happy Together” The whiskey is poured. The lights are low. And tonight, we’re not going digging through the past looking for answers. Tonight… we’re just going to be happy. The needle drops… and The Turtles fill the room with a song that has been making people smile since 1967. “Happy Together.” There’s no \[…\] ## [🎶 Vinyl & Whiskey](https://thoughtsofanoldguy.wordpress.com/2026/08/15/%f0%9f%8e%b6-vinyl-whiskey-23/) _2026-08-16 · Bill · Thoughts of an Old Man_ Tonight’s Record: “867-5309/Jenny” The whiskey is poured. The lights are low. And tonight’s record comes with a phone number almost everybody of a certain age knows by heart. The needle drops… and Tommy Tutone starts ringing the bell. 867-5309. Jenny. You probably don’t know Jenny. Neither do I. But somehow, after all these years, we \[…\] ## [Album Review: Phoebe Bridgers - Lost Weekend](https://ottershenanigans.substack.com/p/album-review-phoebe-bridgers-lost) _2026-08-15 · Steve Long · otter shenanigans_ I don’t do album reviews anywhere near as much as I once did but I felt like I absolutely HAD to review this one. ## [🎶 Vinyl & Whiskey](https://thoughtsofanoldguy.wordpress.com/2026/08/14/%f0%9f%8e%b6-vinyl-whiskey-22/) _2026-08-15 · Bill · Thoughts of an Old Man_ Tonight’s Record: “Games People Play” The whiskey is poured. The lights are low. And tonight’s record comes with a question… How many games do people play? The needle drops… and The Alan Parsons Project settles into the room with “Games People Play.” It’s a smooth song. Almost deceptively smooth. Because underneath that polished sound is \[…\] ## [Episode 486. The Other Maureen Forrester](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/08/14/episode-486-the-other-maureen-forrester/) _2026-08-14 · Countermelody_ This episode celebrates one of the twentieth century’s great contraltos, Canadian icon, Maureen Forrester, an exceptionally versatile, profoundly communicative artist. This past July 25 would have been her 96th birthday. It would be a nearly insurmountable challenge to present all aspects of her artistry in a single episode, so today I have chosen to bestow upon her a title which might surprise… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_486-The_Other_Maureen_Forrester-FINAL.mp3) ## [Needle Drop Friday 8.14.26](https://ottershenanigans.substack.com/p/needle-drop-friday-81426) _2026-08-14 · Steve Long · otter shenanigans_ New Album Releases - 8.14.26 ## [🎶 Vinyl & Whiskey](https://thoughtsofanoldguy.wordpress.com/2026/08/13/%f0%9f%8e%b6-vinyl-whiskey-21/) _2026-08-13 · Bill · Thoughts of an Old Man_ Tonight’s Record: “Whiskey Knows the Truth” The whiskey sits quietly in the glass. It doesn’t judge. It doesn’t interrupt. It just waits. The needle drops… and the Chicago blues roll through the room with that familiar sound of a man who has lived long enough to know that some truths can’t be hidden forever. Whiskey \[…\] ## [CLI-first decentralized compute (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/LiZebOenp25A) _2026-08-13 · **Sponsored**_ Run and pay spare GPUs from the CLI — transcode, coinpay (DID+escrow), infernet (AI). ## [🎶🥃 Vinyl & Whiskey](https://thoughtsofanoldguy.wordpress.com/2026/08/10/%f0%9f%8e%b6%f0%9f%a5%83-vinyl-whiskey/) _2026-08-11 · Bill · Thoughts of an Old Man_ Tonight’s Record: “Whiskey and Vinyl” Well… I suppose we finally found the theme song. The whiskey is poured. The record is waiting. And somewhere between the first crackle of the needle and the last drop in the glass… the world can wait. Tonight’s song is “Whiskey and Vinyl” by Stephen Styles. And honestly? It feels \[…\] ## [🎶 Vinyl & Whiskey](https://thoughtsofanoldguy.wordpress.com/2026/08/09/%f0%9f%8e%b6-vinyl-whiskey-20/) _2026-08-09 · Bill · Thoughts of an Old Man_ “I Go Back” The whiskey settles into the glass. The room is quiet. Then the needle drops… and suddenly, you’re not sitting in that chair anymore. You’re somewhere else. Somewhere years ago. That’s what music does. Kenny Chesney’s “I Go Back” understands something that only gets clearer with age: We don’t really go back to \[…\] ## [🎶 Vinyl & Whiskey](https://thoughtsofanoldguy.wordpress.com/2026/08/08/%f0%9f%8e%b6-vinyl-whiskey-19/) _2026-08-09 · Bill · Thoughts of an Old Man_ The Prodigal Son The whiskey rests untouched for a moment. Some songs deserve a little silence before the first sip. The needle drops… and Ry Cooder reminds us of an old story that’s been told for centuries. A story about leaving. About wandering. About finding your way home. The old man leans back. He smiles, \[…\] ## [Episode 485. Anneliese Rothenberger singt Stolz und Lehár](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/08/08/episode-485-anneliese-rothenberger-singt-stolz-und-lehar/) _2026-08-08 · Countermelody_ The theme of today’s episode is “escapism,” a valuable and even necessary pursuit in the world in which we find ourselves currently existing. What more glorious escapism could there be then Operettenlieder by composers Robert Stolz and Franz Lehár as performed by beloved German soprano Anneliese Rothenberger (1919 – 2010). She was one of the most prominent and glamorous musical figures in Germany… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_485-Anneliese_Rothenberger_singt_Stolz_und_Leh_r-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 484. Bubbles on the Nile, Handel Edition](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/08/01/episode-484-bubbles-on-the-nile-handel-edition/) _2026-08-01 · Countermelody_ Today’s episode is the second of my so-called “Bubbles on the Nile” series, performances by Beverly Sills (and a host of other divas) in unexpected roles. While the first episode drew on the contents of a 1985 release on the Legendary Recordings label with the same title, today’s episode focuses exclusively on the music of George Frideric Handel with an entirely Gundlach-generated setlist. Sills… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_484-Bubbles_on_the_Nile-Handel_Edition-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 483. Adele Addison @ 101](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/24/episode-483-adele-addison-101/) _2026-07-24 · Countermelody_ Today beloved African American soprano Adele Addison, still “sharp as a tack” according to one of her close friends, celebrates her 101st birthday. And today, just as I did four years ago in honor of her 97th birthday, I celebrate this trailblazing icon with a wide-ranging program which focuses on her specialties: baroque and contemporary music, with a few additional surprises along the way. Thus… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_483-Adele_Addison_101-FINAL.mp3) ## [Needle Drop Friday: 7.24.26](https://ottershenanigans.substack.com/p/needle-drop-friday-72426) _2026-07-24 · Steve Long · otter shenanigans_ It’s time for more new music and debauchery kids! ## [Episode 482. Georges Thill: French Twist](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/21/episode-482-georges-thill-french-twist/) _2026-07-21 · Countermelody_ A further celebration of great French singers today, featuring one of the greatest of them all, tenor Georges Thill (1897 – 1984). But as always with Countermelody , there’s a difference: Most of Thill’s recordings are, indeed, in French, and he is such a masterful purveyor of the language that it is always a delight to hear him sing in his native tongue. However, and here’s the “French Twist” of… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_482-Georges_Thill-French_Twist-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 481. The Young Eleanor Steber](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/18/episode-481-the-young-eleanor-steber/) _2026-07-18 · Countermelody_ Today, July 17, 2026, is the one-hundred-and-twelfth birthday of Eleanor Steber, in the opinion of many, the finest American soprano that ever lived. Her combination of technical prowess, (which allowed her to blend vocal power with seamless coloratura facility), faultless diction, vocal beauty, musical versatility, and complete and utter sincerity of expression, were combined in one exquisite… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_481-The_Young_Eleanor_Steber-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 480. Bacquier Encore](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/14/episode-480-bacquier-encore/) _2026-07-14 · Countermelody_ Allons, enfants de la patrie! Let’s celeberate Bastille Day in style! And what better exemplar of the power and élan of French music than the great Gabriel Bacquier?! It was only about a year ago that I published an episode featuring Bacquier singing art song. Today’s episode combines Bacquier in his more familiar guise as an opera singer, with further (and even rarer) recordings of him singing… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_480-Bacquier_Encore-FINAL.mp3) ## [Home of the Agentic Pull Request (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/pzd6xFYl84K7) _2026-07-14 · **Sponsored**_ CLI-first, TUI-ready toolkits and a moshscript installer — join the waitlist ## [Episode 479. Get to Know Alain Vanzo](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/11/episode-479-get-to-know-alain-vanzo/) _2026-07-11 · Countermelody_ I return to Countermelody ‘s Salut à la France miniseries with a tribute to the Monaco-born French-naturalized tenor, Alain Vanzo (1923-2002). There was simply no more elegant a tenor (or any singer!) in the French operatic repertoire (and beyond) than Vanzo in his glory days in the 1960s and 1970s. I have chosen a setlist which presents him, in his core repertoire (Gounod, Massenet, Lalo),… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_479-Get_to_Know_Alain_Vanzo-FINAL.mp3) ## [Needle Drop Friday: 7/10/26](https://ottershenanigans.substack.com/p/needle-drop-friday-71026) _2026-07-10 · Steve Long · otter shenanigans_ Welcome to another week of new music. ## [Episode 478. Martial Singher: Un recueil de mélodies](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/07/episode-478-martial-singher-un-recueil-de-melodies/) _2026-07-07 · Countermelody_ Today is the first in a series of episodes honoring our Gallic friends, who this month also celebrate their independence day, call it what you will, Bastille Day or Le Quatorze Juillet. Our featured singer is French baritone Martial Singher (1904-1990). His career extended from opera to concert to recital and back again, but the main focus on this episode is on the wide range of French song that… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_478-Martial_Singher_chante_un_recueil_de_m_lodies-FINAL.mp3) ## [Needle Drop Friday: 7.3.26](https://ottershenanigans.substack.com/p/needle-drop-friday-7326) _2026-07-05 · Steve Long · otter shenanigans_ Welcome to another Needle Drop……..errr…..Friday? ## [Episode 477. American Orchestral Song \[Queer Edition\]](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/05/episode-477-american-orchestral-song-queer-edition/) _2026-07-05 · Countermelody_ I know, I know, I said that we were done with Pride for 2026. But honestly, given the tenor of the times (no pun intended), we have to continue foregrounding Pride every day we tread this increasingly precipitous path that is earth. And that is the United States of America. For as I write this. Even as our nation squeezes out what should be a momentous birthday celebration, our very queer… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_477-American_Orchestral_Song-Queer_Edition-FINAL.mp3) ## [Needle Drop Friday: 6/26/2026](https://ottershenanigans.substack.com/p/needle-drop-friday-6262026) _2026-06-26 · Steve Long · otter shenanigans_ It's Friday, which means it's time to drop the needle on another batch of fresh music. ## [The Cargo Shorts Chronicles Continue...](https://ottershenanigans.substack.com/p/the-cargo-shorts-chronicles-continue) _2026-06-22 · Steve Long · otter shenanigans_ Issue #174: "This is pure snow!!!" ## [Needle Drop Friday: 6.19.26](https://ottershenanigans.substack.com/p/needle-drop-friday-61926) _2026-06-19 · Steve Long · otter shenanigans_ Welcome to another week of fun and frolic. ## [Cargo Shorts Chronicles Vol. One](https://ottershenanigans.substack.com/p/cargo-shorts-chronicles-vol-one) _2026-06-15 · Steve Long · otter shenanigans_ Issue #173: "I'm ride or die!"....."For Weezer?" ## [Trade Bitcoin and Ethereum Today (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/dZCn4ysrRqr1) _2026-06-15 · **Sponsored**_ Buy, sell, and margin trade BTC and ETH with EUR, USD, CAD, GBP, or JPY. ## [Needle Drop Friday: 6/12/26](https://ottershenanigans.substack.com/p/needle-drop-friday-61226) _2026-06-12 · Steve Long · otter shenanigans_ Hey kids.