Star Time on Rainier Avenue Radio

03/22/2023

Finally! The Star Time archive on Mixcloud is up to date through last week's episode. The latest updates include a "lost" episode from 2021 ( #216) that was never properly uploaded until now. While waiting for all the attendant websites to be updated, you can listen to the archives straight at the Mixcloud page: https://www.mixcloud.com/paulpearsonseattle/. Thank you for your patience.

10/11/2022

The third-ever '90s episode of Star Time features the first show appearances of many R&B and hip hop artists who have gone on to become major names: Mos Def, Ginuwine, Queen Latifah, Kelis, Jay-Z, and Erykah Badu, just to mention a few. It also features the first appearances by several artists who became minor names, but because we're well-mannered, we won't specify who those are.

The third-ever '90s episode of Star Time features the first show appearances of many R&B and hip hop artists who have gone on to become ma...

10/04/2022

This is the first all-'90s show since the first '90s episode way back in June. There's another one coming after this. Since the '90 is the decade that I probably knew the least about as far as R&B is concerned (my hip hop knowledge being only slightly better), a lot of these selections and artists are relatively new to me. And somehow, someway, Boy George managed to creep into the lineup. To paraphrase his Grammy speech back in the '80s, I know a good drag queen when I see one.

This is the first all-'90s show since the first '90s episode way back in June. There's another one coming after this. Since the '90 is the d...

09/15/2022

Obviously, I'm running a bit behind on Star Time updates, as this episode first ran on RainierAvenueRadio.World almost a whole month ago. So, expect some upload madness on this site over the next couple of days. This entry is all '80s, with traditional R&B in the first half and an all-hip-hop lineup in the second. It's the first all-rap hour in about 5 years, I'd estimate.

Obviously, I'm running a bit behind on Star Time updates, as this episode first ran on RainierAvenueRadio.World almost a whole month ago. S...

08/25/2022

I don't do this show for chart success -- I do it for vanity and fun-sized candy -- but you might be interested in knowing this episode is, to my knowledge, the first to enjoy a top-100 position on one of Mixcloud's curiously-calibrated "charts." Specifically, I was alerted that Episode #269 reached #85 on Mixcloud's "global 1970s chart." Peculiar, since the show is half '70s and half '80s material, but no less welcome. Anyway, if chart placement is your barometer for success, then this is, I suppose, the most successful Star Time episode in show history. Kinda amazing, since there's not a single song about kung fu on the playlist.

I don't do this show for chart success -- I do it for vanity and fun-sized candy -- but you might be interested in knowing this episode is,...

08/14/2022

Star Time, for whatever reason, has always tiptoed around disco. I sort of introduce it as the awkward second cousin that's lolling around the family reunion, predisposed to believe nobody really wants to get too close to them yet reliably partaking of the potato salad. That said, this episode's 1974-77 focus prevents us from passing over disco, so we've tried really hard to make it feel welcome among the brawnier, more typical R&B that regularly wins critics over and has a decent job at Ernst & Young.

Star Time , for whatever reason, has always tiptoed around disco. I sort of introduce it as the awkward second cousin that's lolling around...

08/10/2022

Ever since Star Time expanded to the '90s I've been programming shows with ridiculously narrow year ranges. The practice will continue because it's a pretty good form of inventory control. This episode forces on the years 1970-73, one of the most reliable ranges for quality R&B music, and features heavyweights like the Jackson 5 and James Brown, middleweights like Sylvia and the Chi-Lites, and artists of unknown mass but big talent like James K-Nine, Reuben Howell, and The Devastating Affair. And yes, the "album cover" for this show is a direct reference to current, vaguely heroic Seattle Mariner Eugenio "Good Vibes Only" Suarez. He owes me a home run now.

Ever since Star Time expanded to the '90s I've been programming shows with ridiculously narrow year ranges. The practice will continue beca...

07/28/2022

Most of the Star Time episodes that cover the latter half of the 1960s are, as my fuzzy intern says, "fire." It's money in the bank, chicken in the pot, video in the deposition. This is no exception. We maintain a tight focus between the years 1966 and 1969, and I think you'll agree everyone looks better when they're zoomed into their skin pores.

Most of the Star Time episodes that cover the latter half of the 1960s are, as my fuzzy intern says, "fire." It's money in the bank, chick...

07/20/2022

With Star Time's expansion into the 1990s complete, we now turn back to the reason you chose this taqueria in the first place: The Distant Past. This week's show features R&B from 1960-65 and ties the Star Time record for most songs played in a single show: 40. There's lots to sift through here: chickens, monkeys, rats, sailors, projectiles, self-defeat, and hospitalization.

With Star Time 's expansion into the 1990s complete, we now turn back to the reason you chose this taqueria in the first place: The Distant...

07/11/2022

All right, friends and neighbors, here it is. The Sweeping Change. The Star Time Gambit. Shaft's Big Score. With this episode, Star Time officially adds the 1990s into its music selection, including hip hop. While this messes with the DNA, we'll still employ our 6-year strategy of highlighting obscure and forgotten tracks over the big smash hits (go find that Bernadette Cooper solo album on your lunch break). And mainly for insurance purposes, we won't load up on too much New Jack Swing. Feel free to post your results.

All right, friends and neighbors, here it is. The Sweeping Change. The Star Time Gambit. Shaft's Big Score. With this episode, Star Time o...

07/04/2022

It's not just any "80s Atonement" episode -- it's the *last* "80s Atonement" episode, ever. The reason for this is explained in the Major Announcement at the end of Set 3. I've been building anticipation and nervousness up for weeks about this announcement because that's the kind of P.T. Barnum I am, but it is significant to the show. But anyway, feast yourself on some '80s R&B and hip-hop in the meanwhile.

It's not just any "80s Atonement" episode -- it's the last "80s Atonement" episode, ever. The reason for this is explained in the Major An...

06/25/2022

We're doing a small series of chronological-order episodes. Last show was a 1950s episode; this one covers the always dependable 1960s. The next two shows cover the 1970s and 1980s. After that, there will be a major disruption in the Force. But that's down the road a piece. In the meantime, enjoy the soothing balm of the Swinging Sixties, complete with The Whoo P*e, Wack Wack, Gong Gong, Dilly Dilly, and whatever's in Uncle Willie's flask.

We're doing a small series of chronological-order episodes. Last show was a 1950s episode; this one covers the always dependable 1960s. The ...

06/13/2022

For all the noise the Show Host makes about '80s Atonement (which is coming up again the week of June 27), it's the 1950's that could really use more attention on Star Time. So this show is sort of an unbranded '50s Atonement. It's more work because the songs are shorter and we use a lot of them (39 to be exact). But it's real good. Enjoy it now, as both '50s and '80s Atonement will soon be irrelevant for reasons that will be clear... soon. Mwah-hah-hah. (That's an evil laugh. Screamin' Jay Hawkins does it better.)

For all the noise the Show Host makes about '80s Atonement (which is coming up again the week of June 27), it's the 1950's that could rea...

06/09/2022

It's the mid-to-late-'70s on this episode, a time when even your aunt wore platform shoes and gasoline cost 55¢ a gallon. (By the way, that thing is called a "cents sign." We used to pay for things with small metal discs. Long story.) We've got R&B, funk, ballads, and disco from most corners of the Earth, including India, Nigeria, Brazil, and Japan. I also make my first mention of The Big Announcement coming up later this month to foment concern and get 8chan mentions.

It's the mid-to-late-'70s on this episode, a time when even your aunt wore platform shoes and gasoline cost 55¢ a gallon. (By the way, that...

06/03/2022

More soul revelations from the '60s and '70s for your quotidian routine. Featuring mountains, buttercups, popcorn, chitlins, the afterlife, misplaced affections, counting, hardware, judgments, discount real estate, and magic. Use only as directed.

More soul revelations from the '60s and '70s for your quotidian routine. Featuring mountains, buttercups, popcorn, chitlins, the afterlife,...

05/25/2022

This episode is one of my all-time favorite Star Time shows. I don't have a quantifiable reason for that statement. I don't even really have a qualifiable reason. I don't know if it's the excellence of the songs, if they simply hang together well, or if it's my pre-scripted commentary on the Sammy Davis Jr. song "I'm Over 25 But You Can Trust Me." Regardless, this one's going in the time capsule, along with a Wordle screen shot, hibiscus tea mix, an air fryer, and the final shards of all earthly hope.

This episode is one of my all-time favorite Star Time shows. I don't have a quantifiable reason for that statement. I don't even really h...

05/20/2022

Getting stuck in the '60s has never been this pneumatic. This episode features a solo Nick Ashford, a fractional band, an accidental religious moment, a very young Daryl Hall, some Martini's, two Wellses, and a Muddy Waters cover of a Stones song that, to quote Amadeus, is "a funny little tune, but it yielded some good things."

Getting stuck in the '60s has never been this pneumatic. This episode features a solo Nick Ashford, a fractional band, an accidental religi...

05/10/2022

Lots of familiar names in this episode, alongside the typical conglomeration of names that are slightly less familiar, although many are common. Most of the names are easily pronounced. Try reading them out loud -- I doubt that you'll have a hard time sounding them out. Ampersands are also well-represented. If you're a hyphen fan, we have one Stevie Wonder song title that uses six of 'em. Reading is fundamental.

Lots of familiar names in this episode, alongside the typical conglomeration of names that are slightly less familiar, although many are co...

05/03/2022

It's a '70s adventure worthy of the most plot-bending Quinn Martin, the sexiest Aaron Spelling, the cleverest MTM, and the flashiest Goodson-Todman productions. Please pay close attention to Jack Hammer's defense of color-blind love, Swamp Dogg's self-appointed job title, Calvin Scott's last stand for the family plan, and the Chi-Lites' attempt to make it necessary to renew one's marriage license every few years, like a driver's license.

It's a '70s adventure worthy of the most plot-bending Quinn Martin, the sexiest Aaron Spelling, the cleverest MTM, and the flashiest Goodso...

04/25/2022

Here's a spring mix. Like salad greens. It's a heaping plate of R&B arugula. It's a zesty mix of soul chervil. You'll want to take a huge bite and just endive right in. We have your funky radicchio, is what I'm saying. So give it a spinach. I'll see myself out.

Here's a spring mix. Like salad greens. It's a heaping plate of R&B arugula. It's a zesty mix of soul chervil. You'll want to take a huge bi...

04/18/2022

Our usual compendium of good stuff from an unusually wide date range: 1965 all the way to 1982. Which reminds me: Since by reading this post you're a member of the Star Time Golden Circle, I thought you should be the first to know that Big Changes are coming to Star Time in the near future. It's more than a cosmetic change. It will fundamentally alter the Star Time landscape. I'm very excited about it and I hope others will begrudgingly be more excited about it too. But don't say anything, because I haven't yet told station managem -- uh, whoops.

Our usual compendium of good stuff from an unusually wide date range: 1965 all the way to 1982. Which reminds me: Since by reading this po...

04/09/2022

You probably can't tell from its almost seamless, off-the-cuff feel, but every episode of Star Time typically undergoes a lot of editing, especially during the backlogs. Verbal miscues, incorrect song IDs, garbled speech -- they're all usually absent from the show because I do repeated takes on about 75% of the announcements. Fan of Freudian slips as I am, though, when a verbal mistake reveals an entirely new concept or is just too funny to overlook, I'll leave it in. Most likely I'll build the rest of the show around it. This episode has one of those moments; it's in Set 2. Also: R&B music.

You probably can't tell from its almost seamless, off-the-cuff feel, but every episode of Star Time typically undergoes a lot of editing, ...

04/03/2022

Look at that! They let me do a quarter-thousand of these suckers! That's right, this is Star Time No. 250, or MML, 11111010, or 0xFA if you prefer. I resisted the urge to turn this into a Very Special Star Time, even though it was perfectly warranted. Instead, it's an all-'60s r***e, something we do less often these days, but is always productive. I could think of no better way to celebrate #250, though I'm told we don't look a day over 225.

Look at that! They let me do a quarter-thousand of these suckers! That's right, this is Star Time No. 250, or MML, 11111010, or 0xFA if yo...

03/30/2022

This is one of those occasional episodes that's the musical equivalent of throwing a bunch of differently marked ping-pong balls in a bingo machine, giving that machine a spin or two, then picking up the bingo machine and hurling it against the wall so it smashes and all the ping-pong balls are scattered. Unlike in real life, that process works to Star Time's benefit. Lots of great R&B and soul from the '60s and '70s, a trick track that was actually made in 2008, and a few other songs with no date on them so we're telling everyone they're from whatever time Star Wars took place.

This is one of those occasional episodes that's the musical equivalent of throwing a bunch of differently marked ping-pong balls in a bingo...

03/21/2022

Produced under the cloud of Russell Wilson leaving Seattle, last week's episode helped us fight through the tears and existential malaise with some excellent early-to-mid-'70s R&B. Perennial favorites like Sly, the Chi-Lites, Curtis and Kool & the Gang rubbed shoulders with Pat Stallings, Dorothy Morrison, Ripple, and Hifidelics. There's no better way to start the Drew Lock Era, whatever that entails.

Produced under the cloud of Russell Wilson leaving Seattle, last week's episode helped us fight through the tears and existential malaise ...

03/13/2022

This is "the birthday episode," the first-ever episode of Star Time to have its first airing on my birthday of March 7. You'd be right to expect a few self-effacing cracks about senior menus and bunions. Music-wise, it's full of gems from the Star Time sweet-spot era, generally defined as 1966 to 1973, though this week's show stops at '72.

This is "the birthday episode," the first-ever episode of Star Time to have its first airing on my birthday of March 7. You'd be right to ...

03/02/2022

Sure, it's a little anti-climatic to post Star Time's 6th annual Mardi Gras special so late in the holiday, but west of the Rockies we've got at least a good two hours left to kill with potables. That should be more than enough. It's the same basic concept as every year: Two hours of R&B and blues from the general New Orleans area, which is where this whole popular music thing started in the first place. Remember, Imperial and Minit Records care about *you*.

Sure, it's a little anti-climatic to post Star Time 's 6th annual Mardi Gras special so late in the holiday, but west of the Rockies we've ...

02/28/2022

Here's a show focusing on the mid-to-late-'70s, when people were taller, carpets were more forest-like, and nobody could get enough styrofoam. It's a casual glance at some premium-grade funk, soul, and disco-inflected numbers. Most of them are obscure, except for the Sylvers' "Hot Line" and the Jacksons' "Show You the Way to Go." There's also a Bohannon number with the pointed directive to "Dance Your Ass Off." This show's not one for subtlety.

Here's a show focusing on the mid-to-late-'70s, when people were taller, carpets were more forest-like, and nobody could get enough styrofo...

02/22/2022

I don't like shows like this. That is to say, I love being *able* to do shows like this, but don't like why I have to do them. This episode paid tribute to two true legendary cult figures in R&B history who passed away very recently: Syl Johnson and Betty Davis. They really deserved complete hours on their own, but one of the quirks of the otherwise benign Digital Millennium Copyright Act prevented that from happening on Star Time. So this show was how we worked around it. For more of Syl's and Betty's work, speak with our friends at The Numero Group and Light In The Attic, respectively.

I don't like shows like this. That is to say, I love being able to do shows like this, but don't like why I have to do them. This episode p...

02/18/2022

A solid, mild-mannered, ethically sound 2-hour offering of '60s and '70s soul, produced under a haze caused by my suddenly changed weekly schedule. Did you know people actually get up in the morning? What kind of hell is that? And apparently they've been doing this for years. Anyway, here's a fine set of music to emerge from a prescribed bout of unconsciousness with. We'll all be better people after this cuppa.

A solid, mild-mannered, ethically sound 2-hour offering of '60s and '70s soul, produced under a haze caused by my suddenly changed weekly s...