The last days of summer are leaving us. But they'll have to take me kicking and resisting arrest.

This week I've got the last dance of the summer, featuring music--chronologically--from the last 50 years.

The beat keeps going for the entire 60 minutes, from Jr. Walker & the Allstars through very modern remixes of Sly & the Family Stone, Eddie Grant, and an absolutely stunning, hypnotic production of David Bowie's "Let's Dance" to the most danceable tracks from MGMT ("Electric feel" and "Kids").

At 11:00 am (Thursday) and 8:00 am (Sunday) you can't exactly be dusting the all-night dance floor, but I do expect to see and hear some kitchen and office floors bouncing up and down to the 120 bpms.

There were some interesting developments in 1992 that proved to have long-lasting effects. Kurt Cobain was still alive;  he and his band Nirvana started making some pretty good music, which ultimately was and continues to be a pretty strong influence on Generation Y (or whatever they're called).

Red Hot Chili Peppers found their voice (trading in their penal sock puppets for some musical depth). Sting made an interesting fusion of rock and jazz. And Stone Temple Pilots brought the chords crashing in the anthemic "Plush."

After finally finishing my exhausting survey of 1967 (it took me almost 4 months), the year 1992 seems like a breeze. There are the usual 90s suspects: Michael Jackson, MC Hammer, Barenaked Ladies, and Metallica.

But my pick for the most interesting and lasting song from this week's show is Lyle Lovett's [left] "You've Been So Good." It's the bluesy tale of a father, or perhaps uncle, who sees a young person on the edge of going down a road of bad choices. Also featured is the Metallica classic, about an even younger person's danger's in the night.

This was the year that Eric Clapton unplugged, and finally won a grammy, selling 10 million CDs along the way, and Leonard Cohen released his most consistent CD, having dropped his voice about an octave and a half.

This week I'm doing the unthinkable: I'm violating the artistic and musical integrity of almost 90 great artists by condensing 104 of their songs into 60 minutes of my radio show--all for the private and selfish enjoyment of my avid listeners, as well as myself.

Actually, the year 1967 proved to be more difficult to survey than I had expected. The explosion of musical styles and creativity was far more than I had remembered or imagined, and took up the better part of 5 months of my show. Because my show is an hour long, each hour was not representative of the many kinds of creative music that were heard in 1967. So this week you're going to hear a little of almost all of it.

Using the latest in technical gadgetry, I've condensed 104 songs into 60 minutes of a sound polytych (look it up; it's a great word)--and in the process violated nearly every music rule of good taste and copyright known to man.

Thursday and Sunday's shows are about silence.

I found music and artists--from all styles and genres--who express silence in and inbetween the notes.

This week's music ranges from classical (Isao Tomita plays the music of Debussy) to Chick Corea's jazz group Return To Forever, and French electronic duo Air (left).

Not to be missed is the downtempo, space arrangement of Sarah McLachlan's "Silence," and surprise guest appearances from Johann Sebastian Bach and Aaron Copland.

Joni Mitchell is in the pantheon of musical gods. (to read her current dispute with Bob Dylan is like watching Zeus and Minerva argue) This week I feature all Joni music but with no Joni voice: these songs are all covered by someone else.

Some covers seem obvious: Sarah McLachlan sings "Blue," KD Lang sings "Help Me," Cyndi Lauper sings "Carey."

Others sound crazy, but work well: Prince's version of "A Case of You," Brazilian superstar Caetano Veloso's "Dreamland," and Richard Thompson's "Black Crow."

Some follow the originals closely, perhaps with the sense that there's nothing to be improved upon. Some create new music with Joni's classic musical ideas.

After decades of heavy smoking, Joni's voice has dropped about a half octave (though she denies this), and so it's good to hear these songs with the freshness they were orginally crafted with.

The year was extraordinary both for the quality and sheer quantity of music.

1967 had a lot of firsts: most people remember the first time they heard Jimi Hendrix and The Doors. If you were alive at the time, the year was 1967. But there were other firsts: Mother Africa (Miriam Makeba) introduced the western and northern world to the idea that good music (as well as the human genome) came from Africa with her ridiculously infectious "Pata pata." 

One of the most interesting, diverse, virtuosic, and just plain bizarre groups that you've probably never heard of is featured on this week's show: Brave Combo.

I would describe them as eclectic/electric polka. But they play virtually every style of music and just when you think you've understood the essence of their music, you may wonder (check out "The Hokey Pokey") if they're putting the entire world on.

Listen and decide for youself. The whole hour is devoted to their creativity.

2010 was a very good year. Wait, it still is.

Thursday and Sunday feature new music from Damian Marley (yes, Bob's son) and Jakob Dylan (yes, Bob's son), as well as brilliant newcomer old-schooler Janelle Monae. Be sure to check out her video of "Tightrope" on Youtube There's something exciting going on with her.

Ex Talking Head David Byrne teamed up with techno producer Fatboy Slim to (get ready for this) tell the musical story of Imelda Marcos. I'm not sure why. And the music isn't much help in explaining. But the songs are great (most have guest female vocalists), and Byrne's weird, stringy melodies have a great production and sound. It's a double CD; I play 3 of the best tracks.

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After the success of "Pet Sounds" and being challenged by the Beatles "Revolver," Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys wanted to answer the challenge with some new sounds and new production. The complexity and musicality of "Good Vibrations" was still ringing in the air when Brian (additionally inspired by LSD and a sandbox in his living room) began arranging the pieces that were to become the album "Smile."

But it never quite happened.

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[Brian Wilson and lyricist Van Dyke Parks]