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Music Review: En Vogue, The Gift of Christmas
December 16, 2002

This issue includes...

1) Last Chance To Win Standing in the Shadows of Motown
2) Holiday Music Specials
3) How to Listen to Internet Radio on your Stereo System
4) Music Review: En Vogue, The Gift of Christmas
5) Concert Dates
6) Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: Christmas Lyric Power
7) Suggested Holiday gift idea
8) Thanks for Listening!
9) Tell Us What You Think

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1) Last Chance to win Standing in the Shadows of Motown

We still have four remaining copies of the Standing In The Shadows of Motown Soundtrack CD. If you'd like a free copy, it's first come, first served at this page on our web site (while they last):

Powerhouse Radio Motown

A copy of Standing in the Shadows of Motown is waiting for you if you are one of the first four to respond, so click the link:

Powerhouse Radio Motown

2) Holiday Music Specials

Christmas Time:

Shortly after Thanksgiving, We started playing tunes from among 100+ Christmas songs that we're featuring through the holiday. Most of the songs are on now.

Lots of Christmas music is airing now through the early afternoon of December 25th, Christmas Day.

The complete list of the Powerhouse Radio Christmas Holiday 100+ (in alphabetical order) is posted at:

(Item is sunset. link removed - 2021)

(This is just the list, not the order that the songs will be played). Enjoy our unique collection of traditional and contemporary holiday tunes.

Party Time:

It's the almost 72 hour New Years party, starting at 12 noon Eastern, Monday, December 30th, and wrapping up New Year's Day night. Check it out, and put on your dancing shoes!

3) How to Listen to Internet Radio on your Stereo System

Editor's note: This article was first published in our July, 2002 newsletter. It received such a great response, that we are reprinting it again this month just in time for the holidays, (and for new subscribers).

We will eventually post this article on our web site in 2003, with pictures, (to make it easier to follow for the less technically inclined). I have actually expanded the design below, but will leave that part out for now to keep the article as simple as possible.

---------------

We've all grown used to listening to our favorite music on either a personal Walkman, a boombox, an mp3 player, a good car stereo, or a nice home stereo hook-up. Unfortunately, not all sound is created equal when listening to music on your computer. When listening to mp3's or online radio, the quality of the sound can vary a great deal when using your computer.

Basic computer speakers leave a lot to be desired. The speakers that came with your PC may not sound good to you. Have you upgraded your computer speakers to multimedia units with improved frequency response? If you haven't - don't worry. Save your money and do the following (for about $20 or less).

Here is a virtually free way to upgrade your listening experience by plugging into the capabilities of your home stereo system. Some people even have stereo systems at work, so this trick may work in your office too.

Depending upon your computer and stereo system, you'll need the following:

1) Two (2) stereo mini plug "Y" connectors:
NOTE you'll need two different kinds...

* 1 stereo "male" mini plug to double "female" mini plugs.

* 1 stereo "male" mini plug to "double male" RCA adapters.

2) One (or more) standard RCA stereo audio cable(s).

3) An optional RCA stereo audio adapter (see adapters below).

NOTE: RCA is a generic term for standard home stereo audio cables. You do not need the RCA brand.

Your configuration may differ depending on how far your stereo receiver is from your computer. You may need two (2) or more standard RCA stereo audio cables if your connection distance is longer than say 20 feet or so. Just plug the cables in end-to-end.

Here is the basic connection diagram:

  "a"
   [] stereo "Y" mini plug (male end)
  / \
  / \
[] [] (female ends) stereo mini plug
"b" "c"

Plug the "a" end into your computer audio output jack.

Plug your computer speaker cable (which is a male plug) into female plug "b." You can now listen to music from your computer through your computer speakers as you normally do.

Plug female plug "c" into male plug "d" (your second cable, the "mini plug to RCA male adapter "Y" connector). This will allow you to listen to music from your computer speakers, AND, your stereo system at the same time.

"b" "c"
[]     [] (female ends from above)

  "d"
   [] (stereo mini plug male)
  / \
  / \
[] [] (male RCA audio plugs)
"e" "f"

OPTIONAL NOTE: You don't need to connect plug " f " unless you want a stereo connection. For a stereo connection, plug the black side of the RCA audio cable to the left channel (plug "e,") and the red side of the RCA audio cable to the right channel (plug " f " ). Some cables use gray & red (instead of black and red).

For mono only listening, you can use a male mini plug to a single male RCA plug! We suggested the "Y" connector because you could connect your PC into two different stereo receivers in your house or apartment at once (for mono listening). For most mono online radio, this is a great trick.

Up to this point, everything is very simple. It gets a little bit more challenging to do the final step. Most stereo receivers use female audio input jacks. When you go to your local Radio Shack, Best Buy, or local electronics store, get a standard male to female RCA audio cable, and you're done.

Plug the female end into "e," and the male end into an available female audio input on your receiver. Use the black side of the stereo audio cable (for mono setups). Our receiver has VCR 1 and VCR 2 audio inputs. We used VCR 2 to make the connection.

ADVANCED and OPTIONAL

If your electronics store is sold out of male-to-female audio cables, you can use male-to-male cables. To do this, you must have a short adapter (about 4 inches long) with female plugs on both ends. Use two adapters for stereo, one for the left channel, one for the right channel.

Plug your female adapter into "e," plug one male end of your male-to-male audio cable into the adapter, then plug the other side of your male-to-male audio cable into your stereo receiver female audio input. Whew!

ADVANCED tip: any combination of male-to-male, female- to-female, or male-to-female RCA audio cables will work with the appropriate additional adapters. HINT: draw a picture on paper first and identify your male and female cable ends (or things may get too complicated).

Now Enjoy the Music:

With your stereo receiver off, turn on your computer. Either Load an mp3, or connect to the Internet and launch your favorite online radio station.

Turn on your stereo receiver (with the sound volume off). Select the appropriate audio input (the audio input you plugged the cable into). Now turn up the sound volume.

If you used the mono setup, turn your stereo mono switch on your receiver to mono, so the sound will come out of both speakers. Does your receiver have main and remote speaker abilities? Yes? You're in heaven! The music is now coming out of your computer speakers, your main stereo speakers, and the remote speakers in a different part of your apartment or house.

Adjust the bass and treble tone controls to your personal taste. Try boosting both the bass and treble when listening to lower bandwidth "dial-up" online radio stations. If you are using a cable modem or other high speed connection, adjusting the tone controls will also improve your sound.

Wireless devices are also on the market to accomplish playing music from your computer to your stereo system. Save some money and do it the way we've recommend above! Remember, a direct connection via wire from your computer to your stereo receiver should give you better quality. Have fun!

King
Powerhouse Radio
---------------------------
Good luck. Tell us a good story about how you did this hook-up, and we may print your response in a future issue (and send you a prize).

Use our feedback form

4) Music Review: En Vogue, The Gift of Christmas

Last year, the "hot" Christmas CD was the Destiny's Child release: the 8 Days of Christmas. The reviews were mixed, although I liked several of the tracks on that CD.

My pick for this year's best new Christmas release is The Gift of Christmas, by En Vogue. Parts of DC's 8 Days of Christmas were formulaic. En Vogue takes "The Gift of Christmas" into fresh territory, putting a creative spin on the majority of the songs.

You'll find a reasonably nice balance between contemporary and traditional songs. En Vogue has taken the instrumental track from their remake of Aretha Franklin's hit, "Giving Him Something He Can Feel," and substituted the lyrics to "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," and it works!

They've taken the melody from Barry White & Love Unlimited's "Walking In The Rain With The One I Love" to produce a nice composition about Christmas and Kwanzaa call "This Christmas."

There's a "dead on" Supremes type arrangement of "That's What Christmas Means To Me," updating a Motown classic.

"With My Honey" is classic Emotions (or the Jones Girls). Don't get me wrong, on these tracks, you know you are listening to the unique sound of En Vogue.

"The Gift of Christmas" CD is creative and different. There are three different mixes of "Jingle Bells," (an R&B vocal, a Rock vocal, and a Euro instrumental).

You won't be disappointed in this CD. Our problem is chosing which tracks to play. Seven tracks impressed us right away. Online radio stations are limited by certain rules as to the number of songs that can be played by the same artist in any three hour period. That being said, we'll play by the rules and give you the opportunity to hear quite a few songs from this CD.

Review by King
Powerhouseradio.com

5) Concert Dates

P. Diddy
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Pepsi Center Arena, Denver, CO
7:00pm

Earth, Wind, & Fire
Thursday, December 19 - Sunday, December 22
Paris, Las Vegas, NV

Tower of Power
Friday, December 20, 2002
Canyon Dinner Theater, Agoura Hills, CA
8:00pm

Teena Marie
Saturday, December 21, 2002
House of Toys at LA Forum, Inglewood, CA

Stevie Wonder
Saturday, December 21, 2002
Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA

Brenda Russell
Saturday, December 21, 2002
Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, CA

O'Jays and Gerald Levert
Friday and Saturday, December 27 & 28, 2002
Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
8:00pm

Damon Wayans
Monday, December 30, 2002
James Knight Center, Miami Beach, FL

Anita Baker
Tuesday, December 31, 2002
H Town Arena Theatre, Houston, TX
10:30pm

Teena Marie and Stephanie Mills
Tuesday, December 31, 2002
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA
9:00pm

Teena Marie
Thursday, January 16, 2003
House Of Blues, Chicago, IL

India.Arie
Friday, January 17, 2003
Radio City Music Hall, NY, NY
8:00pm

Teddy Pendergrass
Friday, January 17, 2003
Chicago Theater, Chicago, IL
8:00pm

Kirk Franklin
Saturday, January 18, 2003
Universal Amphitheatre, Universal City, CA

O'Jays
Saturday, January 18, 2003
Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, NJ

B.B. King
Sunday, January 19, 2003
Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, MA

6) Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: Christmas Lyric Power

Courtesy of The Archive of Misheard Lyrics at amiright.com

Song: Silent Night
Artist: Traditional (no artist)

The real lyrics:
"Round yon virgin"

Misheard as:

"Brown, young virgin"

Song: Silent Night
Artist: Traditional (no artist)

The real lyrics:
"All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child"

Misheard as:

"All is calm, all is bright
Runyun virgin, mother and child"

Song: Joy To The World
Artist: Traditional (no artist)

The real lyrics:
"Let every heart prepare him room
and heaven and nature sing..."

Misheard as:

"Let every heart prepare a broom
and having a manger scene..."

7) Suggested Holiday gift idea

We recommend Empower Encyclopedia as a unique holiday gift (from another one of our web sites) for that computer user on your list. (Item is sunset. link removed - 2021)

Also, while you're there, grab some FREE screen savers (that we've created and produced). Follow this link:

(Item is sunset. link removed - 2021)

8) Thanks for Listening

We have almost 5 times as many listeners today as we did at this time last year.

Many people tuned in for the first time during Christmas 2001 to hear our commercial free non-stop holiday music. It turns out that many of you who sampled the station at that time stayed with us. Thank you!

Powerhouse Radio celebrates it's 3rd year in 2003. Here is a short technical note about our service provider, Live365.

If you listen to Powerhouse Radio through the Live365 Web site, or through Live365's Start365 software, you will have to register and log-in every time you want to listen. This will be required to hear a large number of the Live365 stations.

The good news is, if you listen to us through the Powerhouse Radio web site, NO registration or log-in is required!

I'll repeat that. If you listen to Powerhouse Radio through the PowerhouseRadio.com web site, No registration or log-in will be required! (Does not apply to FabFourSoul).

Once at our site, just click on any listen link, and select your favorite player from this page:

(Item is sunset. link removed - 2021)

I highly recommend that you add us to your Windows desktop. Here's how. (We've automated the process for you!)

Get instant access to the Powerhouse Radio website. You'll be able to listen automatically with just two clicks!

Try our amazing FREE software out, you'll love it. Click the link below to download and "save to your computer." Share it with a friend. Super easy to install, no hassle, automatic uninstall. Only 532K

(Item is sunset. link removed - 2021)

This is our own application. We wrote it. I use it every time I listen to Powerhouse Radio (and have been using it for almost one year). (Note that Empower Encyclopedia is also our own application... developed and written by King).

The Powerhouse Radio desktop application does NOT have flash animation, pop-up adds, banner ads, or what is commonly referred to as spyware. All it does is link you directly to PowerhouseRadio.com (when you are online). It doesn't link you automatically when you turn on your computer. You start the application when you want to!

This is our last newsletter until 2003. See you in mid-January. Happy New Year!

King

9) Tell Us What You Think

We would love to hear what you think of this issue of the
Powerhouse Radio Newsletter.

Use our feedback form

More 2002 Powerhouse Radio Newsletters:

November -	Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Movie and the CD
November -	The Legacy of Jam Master Jay
October -	Welcome to Our New Listeners and Subscribers
September -	SPECIAL EDITION
August -	The Satellite Radio Revolution
July -	How to Listen to Internet Radio on your Home Stereo
June -	Why Aretha Franklin is the number one diva

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