What is Grandfather's Rock 'n' Roll Music Inn? SO GLAD YOU ASKED.
The short answer: a bar in Shibuya, Tokyo.
The long answer:
In Japan, there is such a thing as bars dedicated to the act of listening to music - not dancing, not raging with friends over a loud DJ - literally just listening to curated music through high quality speakers. Grandfather's is a listening bar whose unofficial focus is on 1970s AOR, 1980s classics and the likes,. All night, the bartenders who double as DJs pick out songs to play from their massive vinyl collection one by one. They hang the album cover of whatever song is playing on the wall. People keep their voices down at respectable levels - unless of course you have the urge to sing along, which all of us did when Lionel Richie’s “Say You, Say Me” came on (still unsure why this is the one that got everyone going but I’ll take it).
Each song on this week’s show was either played at Grandfather’s last Monday night in Tokyo, or would have been if they let me behind the decks.
So grab a whiskey highball, kick back and enjoy.
Playlist
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Tripping Out by Curtis Mayfield on Something to Believe In (Rhino Entertainment) -
Martha by Tom Waits on Closing Time (Lost Henry) -
More Than This by Roxy Music on Avalon (Virgin) -
Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits on Dire Straits (Warner Bros) -
Uptown Girl by Billy Joel on An Innocent Man (Sony BMG) -
Say You, Say Me by Lionel Richie on Dancing on the Ceiling (Universal Motown) -
Just For You (Suzanne's Song) by Frankie Bleu on Who's Foolin' Who? (Unicorn Records) -
I Want To Break Free by Queen on The Works (EMI) -
Feel Like Making Love by Marlena Shaw on Who Is This Bitch, Anyway? (Blue Note Records) -
Harvest Moon by Neil Young on Harvest Moon (Reprise) -
Down Under by Men At Work on Business As Usual (CBS) -
Bell Bottom Blues by Derek & The Dominos on Layla (Polydor) -
By Your Side by Sade on Lovers Rock (Sony) -
Heart of Glass by Blondie on Parallel Lines (Blondie) -
When A Man Loves A Woman by Percy Sledge on When A Man Loves A Woman (Atlantic) -
You're Only Lonely by JD Souther on You're Only Lonely (Sony) -
Wheels of Fortune by The Doobie Brothers on Takin' It To The Streets (Warner Bros) -
Best of My Love by The Emotions on Rejoice (Columbia Records) -
Kodachrome by Paul Simon on The Essential Paul Simon (Sony) -
Summer Breeze by Seals and Crofts on Greatest Hits (Warner Bros) -
King of Pain - Live / Unplugged Version by Alanis Morrisette on Unplugged (Maverick) -
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears on Songs From the Big Chair (Polygram) -
Let's Stay Together by Al Green on Let's Stay Together (Hi Records) -
When I Needed You Most by Randy VanWarmer on Warmer (Bearsville)