Very High Frequencies

VHF-305 (James Ray) is another spin through the fairly obscure English singer songwriter’s catalogue. Not Dead Yet Mike has a few kick ass tracks off of James Ray & The Black Hearted Riders 2017 album Broken Glass & Bullet Holes - Live In An Empty Room. This time James is backed up by a full band and it’s powerful music. Very impressive. 
On a very different type of release we check out James techno solo project, MK Ultra. With sci-fi samples and melodic keyboards it’s chill out music for your next rave party. 
Not Dead Yet Mike has also chosen a bunch of his favorite James Ray And The Performance and the more guitar heavy James Rays Gangwar songs. We also feature some tracks by the Andrew Eldritch Sisters Of Mercy side project, The Sisterhood. Their one and only album, Gift, was released in 1986. It has James Ray as the primary vocalist as Andrew was in litigation with other former members of his band. Some of the songs on Gift eventually became live staples in shows by The Sisters Of Mercy, with of course Andrew on vocals. 
Still active today James Ray has followed his musical path as a true artist must. Far from a one hit novelty act best known for his connections to The Sisters Of Mercy, James Ray consistently delivers the goods and sounds very cool like a great rock star should. VHF-305 (James Ray) this week on Very High Frequencies.

VHF-304 (Guns vs Butter) Not Dead Yet Mike is taking a hard look at the Guns or Butter equation on this week’s episode. Macroeconomics study government spending on military equipment (guns) and potential ramifications on domestic goods (butter). Can we find a balance between security and economic hardship? 
Alternative artists have released a lot of amazing music that pontificates on various aspects of the subject. Heavy hitters featured on this week’s show include Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Killing Joke, Nine Inch Nails, Siouxsie and the Banshees, GGFH, Concrete Blond, TSOL, The Sisterhood, Test Dept., The Black Angels, Portishead, James Rays Gangwar, Todd Rundgren, Fight, and last but not least a cover of a Black Sabbath song by Judas Priest and the late great Prince Of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne. They all have some things to say about the violent world we live in today. The general consensus is that we can do better but not until we try. 
Blast episode 304 - (Guns vs Butter) at a high volume and drown out the encroaching noise. You’ll feel better, I guarantee.

VHF-303 (Neil Young - ‘81 - ‘94) checks out nearly every release the artist released over a thirteen year span. Not Dead Yet Mike has chosen tracks off of solo Neil Young albums and a bunch of his music with Crazy Horse. We also feature some lesser known lineups like Neil & The Restless and Neil & The Bluenotes. 
This week’s episode explores some of the so called Lost era in which Neil experimented with multiple genres of music. Albums released during this time period include Re-ac-tor with Crazy Horse (‘81) and vocoder and sampler heavy Neil Young solo album Trans (‘82). His more folky fanbase was largely confused and some people thought he had perhaps lost his mind. Of course now the albums are considered highly imaginative and artistically risky pieces of music. By 1989 Neil was once again releasing hugely popular albums with anthems such as Rockin’ In The Free World from Freedom (‘89) and Fuckin’ Up off Ragged Glory (‘90).
We also have some fairly rare tunes like Cocaine Eyes from the Eldorado EP originally released only in Japan in ‘89 and Don’t Spook The Horse from 1990’s Mansion on The Hill single. 
Of course Neil has done a lot of cover songs in his career. We check out a heavy live interpretation of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ In The Wind from Weld (‘91) with Crazy Horse. 
Neil was Kurt Cobains friend and tried to help him deal with his celebrity status and drug addiction. After Kurt died Neil released Sleeps With Angels (‘94) which expressed Neil’s feelings about the loss of his friend’s life and the circumstances that may have contributed to the tragedy. 
It was a long thirteen years between 1981 and 1994. Neil Young chronicled the changes in songs and albums. VHF-303 samples the early Eighties Lost era up to Neil’s resurgence in popularity in the early nineties on this week’s episode. Don’t miss it!

VHF-301 (Uncle Al Cover Songs) Very High Frequencies packs a whole episode of cover songs by various Al Jourgensen projects. Ministry, Buck Satan And The 666 Shooters, 1000 Homo DJ’s, Surgical Meth Machine, and Revolting Cocks have their way with some Seventies classics as well as some punk and new wave tunes. There’s some obvious bands covered, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Iggy & The Stooges, the Doors, Deep Purple, and T. Rex. Some less obvious covers are originally by somewhat more obscure or unexpected bands and artists such as Fad Gadget, Magazine, Olivia Newton-John, Rod Stewart, Amy Winehouse, Captain Beyond, and Devo. We are keeping a few under wraps so you’ll be surprised to hear them. Some covers remain faithful to their original source material while others are wildly different, often much heavier and with ridiculously fast drumming.
Uncle Al has recorded an impressive amount of cover songs. Not Dead Yet Mike has selected some of his favorites for this week’s show and invites you to check it out! VHF-301 (Uncle Al Cover Songs).

VHF-302 (Bauhaus) takes a whirlwind tour of each Bauhaus studio album. We are selecting some of our favorite tracks from all five studio albums and we’re checking out BBC songs like Poison Pen that never made it to a proper studio release. Not Dead Yet Mike has also chosen some of his favorite live tracks from the 1999 live album, Gothic. The band could certainly pull off their music live as these recordings demonstrate. Another unique feature of this week’s episode is the band’s cover songs. We have a few of them for your listening pleasure. The usual suspects get some love (Eno, Bowie) but there’s an unexpected cover or two as well. Not to give too much away but Dead Can Dance is not on the top of many bands lists of artists they interpret in the live setting. 
Invite Bauhaus into your house this week on Very High Frequencies. They may have invented Goth, and  there’s nobody else that sounds quite like them. It’s Alternative music legends Bauhaus on VHF-302.

VHF-300 (3 Piece Bands, 3 Songs Each) is packed with tracks from alternative music mainstays like Violent Femmes, Love And Rockets, Concrete Blonde,  and Nirvana, as well as some lesser known three piece bands like Skinny Puppy, The Hidden Hand, Cyberaktif, and a few others. 
Not Dead Yet Mike is celebrating the 300th episode of Very High Frequencies by playing three piece bands, each artist getting three songs apiece. Expect big hits like Smells Like Teen Spirit and Blister In The Sun alongside some deep cuts and even a Pink Floyd cover. 
It’s a whole show of three piece bands on this week’s episode of Very High Frequencies. It starts off relatively mellow and progressively gets heavier so be sure to crank up the volume! VHF-300 (3 Piece Bands, 3 Songs Each).

VHF-299 (Todd Rundgren Pt. 2) is a big slice through the prolific artist’s solo catalog. Not Dead Yet Mike has chosen tracks off of Todd’s solo albums from the early seventies right up to the most recent releases. Two hours wasn’t enough! We needed a second show because Todd has 26 solo albums. We’re saving The Nazz and Utopia for another show.
Here’s a little bit of some of the songs from this week:
World Wide Epiphany This Is Not A DrillNo World OrderMercenary Dogfight GiggleI Saw The Light Hello It’s Me Lockjaw Black And White Black MariaTiny DemonsTin Foil HatLiarFascist Christ MammonThe IndividualistBang The Drum All Day 
and a whole bunch more! 
It’s Part Two of Very High Frequencies Todd Rundgren show. Expect a bunch of the hits that made him a star and some deep cuts too. We even have a couple cover songs. You’re gonna wanna put on your headphones for this one because Todd’s A Wizard, A True Star.

VHF-297 (Nine Inch Nails - Soundtracks) is a retrospective of just a fraction of the NIN and Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross music for film and video games. Highlights include a few vocal and instrumental tracks from the Tron: Ares - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2025). The song As Alive As You Need Me To Be is getting a lot of attention from critics and has fared well with Hollywood awards. We will check it out as well as the songs I Know You Can Feel It and Who Wants To Live Forever. 
Not Dead Yet Mike has selected a few tracks from the 1996 video game Quake that are possibly the most industrial sounding music NIN ever released. 
We will also explore Trent & Atticus’ motion picture soundtracks for a couple of David Fincher’s films, 2010’s The Social Network and 2011’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Mostly instrumental tracks that are mood pieces but there are some surprises too, such as a Led Zeppelin cover featuring Karen O on vocals.
Very High Frequencies features NIN covering the Joy Division song Dead Souls from the 1994 The Crow Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Nine Inch Nails also contributed music to Oliver Stone’s 1994 splatterfest Natural Born Killers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack as well as David Lynch’s Lost Highway soundtrack from 1997. We have a little bit of all of that this week on VHF-297 (NIN - Soundtracks).

VHF-296 (Siouxsie & The Banshees) has a bit from every studio album the band released. Radio and dance  club hits like Cities In Dust and Christine get their due as well as some of their deep cuts (Sunless, B Side Ourselves, Ornaments Of Gold) and a couple few cover songs as well. Kraftwerk, T. Rex, Iggy, the Beatles and John Cale all get interpreted. 
Siouxsie & The Banshees enjoyed a twenty year run, from ‘76 to ‘96. They released eleven studio albums and a triple compilation album of b-sides. Not Dead Yet Mike has chosen some of his favorites from all of those albums for this week’s show. 
There were several lineup’s of the band and especially quite a few guitarist’s so it’s not surprising that they were constantly reinventing themselves. There’s quite a difference between the raw early material and the highly polished sound of their work in the nineties. As the band became more comfortable in the studio they experimented with production techniques and attempted to keep their sound fresh and contemporary. Was it always successful? That’s up to you to decide. 
Crank up the volume because it’s a goth dance party with Siouxsie & The Banshees on episode 296 of Very High Frequencies and you’re invited! 

VHF-295 (The The) checks out some of the 2024 album Ensoulment. After nearly twenty five years Matt Johnson released a non film soundtrack of new The The music. His wide ranging subject matter will not disappoint old fans and new fans alike. Grappling with contemporary issues while navigating life in this modern age hasn’t necessarily gotten easier as we rely more on technology and seem even more distant from each other. Stand out tracks such as Kissing The Ring Of POTUS, Cognitive Dissonance, and Risin’ Above The Need demonstrate Matt Johnson’s unique lyrical gift. While he often casts an outward observation he is also capable of some pretty harsh self reflection. In The The songs self improvement is a possibility. We can learn from past mistakes if only we take the time to reflect and strive to become a better person.
Not Dead Yet Mike has chosen a couple of songs of off all your favorite The The albums to round out this week’s episode. Soul Mining (‘83), Infected (‘86), Mind Bomb (‘89), Dusk (‘92), Hanky Panky (‘94), Naked Self (2000) and of course Ensoulment (2024). We even have a little of early album Burning Blue Soul (1981) that shows how untraditional Matt Johnson’s approach to studio recordings were in his early days.
It’s not punk rock but The The has an occasional political slant. Just  some of the lyrical themes touched upon include organized religion and its implication’s in society, greed, lust, violence, jealousy, addiction, redemption, truth, death, and love.
As Matt Johnson says on the song Lonely Planet, if you can’t change the world change yourself and if you can’t change yourself change the world! Check out VHF-295 (The The) this week.