I’ve always liked the Devil in a Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly/C. C. Rider thing that Mitch Ryder and the Detriot Wheels do (or add in Jenny Take a Ride as done by Springsteen, I like that to), and Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey by either Little Richard or the Beatles, and that got me thinking about other songs you could combine.
So far I’ve got Surfin’ USA/Sweet Little Sixteen (same melody, after all, but I think it would be cool to somehow move from the Chuck Berry sound to the Beach Boys harmonies), and What I Like About You/Rockin’ in the USA (although actually in the reverse order - there’s a harmonica part in the instrumental break halfway through Rockin’ in the USA that could lead perfectly into What I Like About You). If I were in a band, we’d do both of these.
When I was in college radio, by far the best segue I did (completely accidentally) was when I followed “Leader of the Laudromat” with the Lone Ranger theme:
“Who’s that playing the piano?”
“The Looone Ranger!”
I also discovered that Led Zepplin’s “When the Levee Breaks” is the perfect song to segue into. No matter what you played before, it sounds great.
I think it would be possible to do a “Money Medley” that starts with Pink Floyd’s “Money” and during the instrumental break segues into Dire Straits “Money For Nothing.” It would be also nifty to work in the old Kingsmen tune by the same title as well.
Also, I can hear in my head (but don’t have the skill to reproduce) a “Freedom” medly that starts with Ritchie Havens strummed-guitar “Freedom” from Woodstock and mixes in bits of Bread’s “Mother Freedom” and George Michael’s “Freedom 90”
A fascinating mix can be done with Santana’s “Jingo” and Deep Purple’s “The Painter”, (from their self-titled thrid lbum, the one with the Hieronymus Bosch cover) based on a similar riff.
Then, of course, there are damn near zillions of songs that have borrowed the beat from “Willie and the Hand Jive” including the cult fave “I Want Candy” by the Strangeloves. You could have a hell of a medly collecting all the others.
Which reminds me of Ten Years After’s “I’m Going Home” performance at Woodstock, blending a number of classic rock themes.
Excellent! I have been involved off and on with commercial radio since 1966 in a number of positions including DJ, news reporter, salesman, sales manager, VP, station manager and part owner. These days I just record the voice tracks for a 4-hour weekday show as a side gig to my full-time newspaper job.
In the years when I jocked (back in the days of turntables and slip-starting) we vied with each other for nifty transitions - matching beats, overlaps that worked well, cold endings that could be picked up on the next beat with the opening note of a similar song, etc. but I’ve forgotten most of them in the years since. It’s nice to hear others with the same zest for enjoying the possibilities of the music.
"Space Oddity" by David Bowie (Major Thom to ground control …) "Rocket Man" by Elton John
The classic-rock station I listen to played this pair after coming back from extensive news coverage (and they never did news) of the Challenger explosion. Gave me chills.
A Rage Against the Machine double that works well: Guerrilla Radio ends with the line “Hell, no, can’t stop us now.” And Renegades of Funk starts with the words “No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop us now”
If you haven’t heard the “Peter Gunn Theme/Every Breath You Take” remix from The Sopranos: Peppers and Eggs, I suggest you seek it out. It’s smooth and it rocks. Used to great effect in the season three opener of the show.
One that I’ve done is Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue” moving into The Who’s “Pinball Wizard”. Works well if TUIB is played a bit fast.
My favorite is the Stones’ “Wild Horses” moving into Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes”. It makes for a darn long song, but it’s down right soulful. It works so well on so many levels; same key, the Bm chord is the perfect transition place, and the themes meld nicely.
