Don's Basement Tapes · Don's Basement Tapes

Farewell and Adieu to 2025

December 25, 2025·56 min·4 clips

Don Clark celebrates the last living member of The Band, Garth Hudson, who passed away in January 2025.

1. Don's Basement Tapes closes 2025 with a themed tribute episode honouring vintage rock musicians who died that year, hosted by Don Clark. 2. Host Don Clark is the sole presenter; Lee Peek is credited as the voice of Don's Basement in the closing; no guests appear. 3. Clark frames the episode explicitly as 'a celebration of the vintage rockers that we lost in 2025 and all the great gifts they gave us,' rejecting a somber tone. 4. Steve Cropper, who died in December 2025, opens the tribute; Clark describes him as 'a guitar hero's guitar hero' who helped build the Stax Records Memphis sound with Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Booker T and the MGs. 5. 'Green Onions' by Booker T and the MGs is the featured Cropper track, played as the show opener. 6. Garth Hudson is introduced as the last surviving member of The Band, who died in January 2025; 'Up on Cripple Creek' is the tribute track. 7. Mick Ralphs is identified both as a founding member of Mott the Hoople and of Bad Company; a track from the Mott album is played. 8. Brian Wilson is described as someone for whom 'calling him a musical genius is a major understatement'; Clark directs listeners to hear Pet Sounds from start to finish as proof of his visionary status. 9. 'God Only Knows' from Pet Sounds is played as the Wilson tribute, with Clark noting Wilson died in June 2025. 10. Roy Thomas Baker is introduced as a producer for The Who, David Bowie, Dr. John, and the Rolling Stones, before Clark focuses on his five-album Queen partnership starting with their 1973 debut. 11. Clark describes the Baker-Queen run as producing 'pure gold' and calls one of its results 'the most successful record of all time'; 'Flick of the Wrist' from Sheer Heart Attack is the featured track. 12. Rick Davies of Supertramp is eulogised as having been with the band since 1970, with Clark highlighting the Crime of the Century album as his peak moment; 'Rudy' is played. 13. Ace Frehley is introduced as 'The Spaceman,' former lead guitarist for KISS, with 'New York Groove' as the tribute track. 14. John Sykes, who played with Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, is placed in a three-person bracket with Clapton and Hendrix as guitarists identifiable from their opening notes; Clark notes he died 'at a very young age of 65.' 15. 'Love Ain't No Stranger' from Whitesnake's Slide It In is the Sykes tribute track. 16. Joey Molland of Badfinger is the final tribute; 'No Matter What' is played. 17. John Lodge of the Moody Blues is also mentioned; Clark notes Lodge joined two years after the band formed and is best known for 'I'm Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band.' 18. The episode closes with Clark wishing listeners a Happy New Year and thanking flagship station WYML (99.9 FM Chicago) along with iHeart Radio and Amazon Music. 19. Classic and vintage rock fans who want a curated year-end tribute to 2025's rock losses with a track from each artist will find the format exactly tailored for them. 20. Listeners wanting biographical depth, archival interview clips, or extended remembrances from collaborators will find the tributes brief.

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