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Update: Coming into the final stretch and, thanks to a flood of donations the past few hours, we're almost at our goal. It's been incredible, the support and encouragement that's come this way. I can't begin to express my humble gratitude to all of you for your kindness, your generosity and your support of Newstalgia. Sometimes it's difficult, posting day after day, not knowing if anyone besides me is actually listening to any of this stuff or really cares about its existence. Clearly, the past several days have proven you are out there reading and listening and enjoying what Newstalgia has to offer, and that is gratifying, to say the least. It has certainly given me renewed enthusiasm to bring as much interesting, rare and essential material as I can drag out of the Archive. For the moment, we're right at the home stretch, within a few hundred dollars of our goal. If you haven't considered making a donation, please do - no matter how much you are willing to donate. No amount of money is too small that it won't make a huge difference. - it all does. We're getting there - we've almost done it!

Taking a break from sessions this week and diving into no genre in particular. Tonight it's 60's Folk-Pop-Psych icon Donovan and one of the Jazzier selections from his Mellow Yellow album of 1967, The Observation. With the exception of his debut, most of his earlier projects of the 60's were a combination of Folk, Pop, Psychedelia and a nod in the direction of Cool-School Jazz. Usually making for an interesting and somewhat eclectic listening experience, it also tried to deflect from the stereotype that Donovan was presented to mainstream music as a sort of Bob Dylan-Lite, which just wasn't true. But in the world of pigeon-holes, he had to be put in one, and as we all know, Jazz isn't big commercially.

So here's Donovan's nod to Beat-Poetry and Word Jazz from 1967.

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Update: No new donations since this morning, and that's bad news. We can't keep Newstalgia going without your support and we don't have that much more time left to do it. Please donate what you can - every penny, every dollar is desperately needed right now. Please help Newstalgia, and the Sound Archive that makes it all possible stay alive. We need your help and your donations. We can do this, but I can't do this alone.

Something homegrown tonight, but also via The BBC. The Smashing Pumpkins from a session the did for the John Peel Program during their European Tour in 1991.

I can't think of 90's without thinking of Smashing Pumpkins - and if you can't either, here's a rundown of what's on the Roundtable tonight:

Smashing Pumpkins - John Peel session of September 8, 1991
1. Siva
2. Girl Named Sandoz
3. Smiley

I think it's a safe bet to turn this up and wait for Friday to roll along.

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We're still at 25% of our goal. A big debt of gratitude for the donations so far. But we still have a ways to go. We can get there if you can help out, any way you can. It doesn't have to be big - every bit helps. Give what you can so we can keep Newstalgia from going away forever. I know that sounds bad, because it is. Newstalgia will cease to exist after May if we can't raise $5,000.00 to pay the rent. I know we can get there. And if you like what this site is all about please do what you can to help.

Since we ran David Bowie last night, it's only natural we dig a bit more into the mainstream for something else unusual. And tonight it's Led Zeppelin in their second session at the BBC, recorded on June 24, 1969 for The John Peel Program.

If you're a diehard fan, you will probably have this session somewhere in your collection. You are probably well-versed in all things Zep. But if you're a casual fan, you may not have heard this session, and you may not have realized Led Zeppelin were originally The New Yardbirds, when the old Yardbirds dissolved. When Jimmy Page, the last remaining member of The Yardbirds set out to form a new band, following largely in the footsteps of the old one. When asked if he was interested in joining up in this new venture, Who drummer Keith Moon declined, casually adding Page's new band idea would mostly likely go down like a Led Zeppelin with audiences.

And the rest is history.

And so's what you're going to hear:

24/06/1969 - Led Zeppelin
Producer - John Walters
Engineer - Tony Wilson
Studio - Maida Vale 4

TRACKLIST
What Is And What Should Never Be
Whole Lotta Love
Travelling Riverside Blues
Communication Breakdown

LINE UP
Jimmy Page (Guitar)
Robert Plant (Vocals)
John Paul Jones (Bass, Piano, Organ)
John Bonham (Drums)

Take it from there.

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(Annuals - mixing up a big bowl of Experimental in Raleigh)

My bad. I've been meaning to post this band on Newstalgia for many months now. I've been a big fan ever since their first album Be He Me came out in 2006. It's bands like this that keep proving to me over and over that the good music ain't on the charts and it ain't on your local Mainstream radio station.

As usual, I ran across Annuals during one of my browses on MySpace in 2006. Got sucked in within the first 30 seconds and I've been checking on their progress ever since. They come from Raleigh North Carolina and they've been around since 2004, and doing it like so many bands these days are doing it - slowly, but staying at it and getting good word of mouth going.

This track, Brother opens their first album. They have a lot of new material out (or newer), but this track was the first one that got me and I suppose we could call it an oldie. But like my theory goes - if you've never heard it before, it's new to you.

So, if you're familiar with them, I'm preaching to the choir. But if you've never heard them before - take a break and check them out. As always, they can use your support and I hope their fortunes take them to many places and turn on many people.

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(The Futureheads - Sunderlands finest - from humble beginnings to Glasto)

When Newstalgia first got started, one of the bands I featured on the Roundtable was the relatively unknown Futureheads. They had been kicking around for a while and had their MySpace page and were just starting to get some notoriety. Well, a year later and they're now about to release their fourth album. They've been touring a lot and this new track Struck Dumb is getting massive amounts of airplay on BBC6 Music (what do you mean you aren't streaming them 24 hours a day?). So I think it's safe to say "we knew them when" . . .which is pretty good and speaks volumes about doing it yourself and what MySpace is capable of - and it also helps that support comes from readers like you who just don't think much is happening in the mainstream. Good on you.

If you didn't get to hear them the first time around, check out their pages and see what they're up to now. All their albums and eps are available and this single is available as a free download. So fall by and give them some face time.

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(Grand Archives - should be landing in Madrid right about now)

I haven't heard from Seattle in a while. Not that it's dead up there - I've just been preoccupied with the flood of bands from Europe at the moment. But Grand Archives has been around for a while. They're on SubPop and are getting ready to do a huge European tour starting in the next day or two. This track, Torn Blue Foam Couch is one of their earlier tracks off their first and I was turned on to them by my friend Pati in Madrid. At any rate, Grand Archives is a new band to me and they've been getting a lot of repeat plays over here at the Newstalgia Think Tank.

If you feel the same way, by all means check them out. If you happen to be in Madrid, or any one of a number of cities they're playing in Spain this month, fall by and hear them live.

Exposing yourself to new stuff always does a body good.

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Update: Thanks to your incredible outpouring of support and donations, we've managed to squeak within a short distance of our goal. As I've said during this past week, I can't thank you enough, those of you who have donated. Your contributions and words of encouragement have made all the difference. No matter how small or insignificant you thought your donation was, it made all the difference in the world. Since we're just at the tail-end of the appeal - if you are still thinking about making a donation to Newstalgia, to make sure it stays running in the future, any amount will be greatly appreciated. Any amount is a huge amount - always was and always will be.

Heading over to Chicago for a taste of Blues tonight, by way of Eddie Taylor. Taylor is probably best known as working with the legendary Blues master Jimmy Reed on some of his most memorable sessions for Vee-Jay Records in the 1950's. A heavy weight artist in his own right, he recorded several singles and garnered much acclaim, including tonight's track, Gonna Love You, which he recorded in 1957.

A little down-home Blues is always good to be staring at the middle of the week with.

If the recording sounds outrageously clean, it's because it was taken from the session master tapes and sounds just like the day it was originally recorded.

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Update: Ending up the first week of our emergency drive still halfway there. Absolutely grateful beyond description for the donations in the past few hours. You got us to the 50% mark, and that's a hopeful sign. I know it's a pain, hearing about this with every post, but I can't stress how much I need your help. At it stands, there is a very good chance of losing the Archive, which will mean all the recordings you've been hearing and would hear will be gone. When that happens there's no point in continuing with Newstalgia, as the whole reason for having this website was to make those recordings available to you, for free, for learning, for broadening your horizons. If you feel that's worth a buck or two (or as much as you can), please consider making a donation in order to keep this site up and keep the archives a vital source of history at your disposal. We can do it - I swear we can.

Keeping going with our spotlight on the homegrown; tonight it's The Pixies and a session they recorded for John Peel at the BBC Maida Vale Studios in 1988.

Here's the rundown from that session, recorded on October 9, 1988:

1. Dead
2. There goes My Gun
3. Manta Ray

And it officially starts the weekend!

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We're inching closer towards 40% of our goal tonight. Your donations to help keep Newstalgia going and the archives safe are helping. And I am grateful to all of you for your support and kind words. But we're still a ways away and I need your support more than ever. What ever you can contribute to the site, to the cause, would be deeply appreciated. If you can donate a substantial amount, that would be fantastic. But if you can't you're still desperately needed, no matter how much you contribute. Any amount is a crucial step toward achieving the goal and taking care of the impending emergency. You're doing it and you're making a difference. Keep it going.

Since I've been going on a familiarity binge the past few days (with Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Elvis Costello) I thought I would dig a bit deeper and pull up this one. Black Sabbath from one of their earliest surviving sessions for the BBC. Recorded for the John Peel Program on April 26th 1970, this session features the band right at the tipping point in their careers. It's ironic that Black Sabbath achieved a larger following in England and Europe than America, at first. It was around 1970 the U.S. finally caught up with the rest of the world and Black Sabbath became a household name ever since.

Before Black Sabbath came along, there really weren't any bands characterized as Heavy Metal, as least to the extent they explored doom-laden lyrics with dramatic word pictures. Most bands considered Heavy Metal had a basis in blues or hard Rock. Black Sabbath came along and changed all that, and in doing so, carved out their own niche in the annals of music.

Here is a rundown of what they play tonight:

1. Black Sabbath
2. Walpurgis
3. Fairies Wear Boots
4. Behind The Wall Of Sleep
5. Evil Woman

This should give you a good introduction of what the band were capable of. You may have missed some of these the first time around. The sound is a little strange in places. But the band certainly weren't.

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We're slowly getting there; about 10% of our goal so far. Thanks to the amazing outpouring of donations from all of you to keep Newstalgia from extinction. Keep it going. Anything you can do will be unbelievably appreciated. You're making a difference!

David Bowie tonight. Someone I haven't played, I don't think, ever on The Roundtable. I ran across this session recorded on May 23, 1972 for the John Peel Program at The BBC and had to include it.

Vintage Bowie from the classic period, turning the Music world Glam in the process.

Here's what's up tonight:

1. White Heat, White Light
2. Hang On To Yourself
3. Suffragette City
4. Moonage Daydream
5. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust

Not that you're going to want to break out the day-glo eyeliner or Platform boots and cover yourself in glitter or anything. But it IS Friday night, and I suppose you could. . .

Or just turn it up and let the music do it for you.