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They played We Belong by Pat Benetar on KZOK

Oops...memory fail.
SRO acquired KTW (1250) and KTW-FM (102.5) 10-13-1973; but format on the FM listed as progressive rock right out of the chute. Not sure if the playlist referenced above for 1974 is from something else and mis-attributed?
 
LITTLEBOYBLUE said:
Oops...memory fail.
SRO acquired KTW (1250) and KTW-FM (102.5) 10-13-1973; but format on the FM listed as progressive rock right out of the chute. Not sure if the playlist referenced above for 1974 is from something else and mis-attributed?
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Only someone who was actually listening to 102.5 in 1974 would be able to solve this mystery. One thing is for certain, the 1974 playlist linked to from this thread is, with the exception of that weird Seattle-only Elton John hit, a standard CHR playlist, pretty much the same songs I was hearing in Syracuse, NY, on WOLF at that time.
 
boombox4 said:
KZOK, that 1974 standout is the 'lost' Elton John hit, "Sick City". It was a hit B-side. It was played on KJR as well, in fact it got a lot of airplay.

And for years I couldn't find it on an album. Finally had to special order the single with the B-side.

Seeing Barry White on a KZOK playlist seems a bit unusual. I doubt it made it to their gold category after 1979 or so, when they went more towards the "classic rock" we know them for now.
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Elton John never put album cuts on any of his singles. The B-Sides were all exclusive material. He felt it gave fans better value for their money. There's a CD compilation of all his B-Sides.
 
Bongwater said:
Elton John never put album cuts on any of his singles. The B-Sides were all exclusive material. He felt it gave fans better value for their money. There's a CD compilation of all his B-Sides.
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"Your Song" and "Take Me to the Pilot" (both from ELTON JOHN).
"Levon" and "Goodbye" (both from MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER).
"Tiny Dancer" and "Razor Face" (both from MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER).
"Rocket Man" and "Suzie (Dramas)" (both from HONKY CHATEAU)
"Honky Cat" and "Slave" (both from HONKY CHATEAU)
"Crocodile Rock" and "Elderberry Wine" (both from DON'T SHOOT ME, I'M ONLY THE PIANO PLAYER)
"Bennie and the Jets" and "Harmony" (both from GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD)
"Grow Some Funk of Your Own" and "I Feel Like A Bullet (in the Gun of Robert Ford)" (both from "ROCK OF THE WESTIES").

So, not "never".
 
Elton was so good it really didn’t matter what were released as singles. Fans bought albums and many of those album cuts also got major airplay. I wonder if a future artist will ever be able to match Elton. Of course the platform has changed.
 
michael hagerty said:
"Your Song" and "Take Me to the Pilot" (both from ELTON JOHN).
"Levon" and "Goodbye" (both from MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER).
"Tiny Dancer" and "Razor Face" (both from MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER).
"Rocket Man" and "Suzie (Dramas)" (both from HONKY CHATEAU)
"Honky Cat" and "Slave" (both from HONKY CHATEAU)
"Crocodile Rock" and "Elderberry Wine" (both from DON'T SHOOT ME, I'M ONLY THE PIANO PLAYER)
"Bennie and the Jets" and "Harmony" (both from GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD)
"Grow Some Funk of Your Own" and "I Feel Like A Bullet (in the Gun of Robert Ford)" (both from "ROCK OF THE WESTIES").

So, not "never".
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And I remember hearing both "Harmony" and "Elderberry Wine" on Boston radio at the same time the A-sides were hits.
 
TheBigA said:
From a cultural impact standpoint. The quality of music is subjective. People like whatever they like.
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I was an Elton John fan until "Blue Moves." After that, his music grew sappier by the album and his act became self-parody. Sure, just my opinion, but I'd say Taylor Swift has maintained quality within the genres she's been writing and performing songs in far better than Elton. And she's never written a lyric half as awkward as his co-conspirator Bernie Taupin wrote for "Texan Love Song" (from "Don't Shoot Me") and other atrocities.
 
Yes, but the 70's were more experimental in terms of music. Elton had a few flops, indeed. But overall his accomplishments out played almost everyone in the 70's decade. And probably 80's too.
 
I said “probably” but point taken. But Elton’s biggest concert success was in the 80’s and he did have several top 10 hits in the 80’s.
 
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seatownmedia said:
I said “probably” but point taken. But Elton’s biggest concert success was in the 80’s and he did have several top 10 hits in the 80’s.
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But people went to those shows to hear him sing "Benny and the Jets," "Crocodile Rock," "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," "Rocket Man," etc., not "Nikita" or "I'm Still Standing." His '70s output was what made him a legend.
 
I'd say that Elton's rewrite of Candle In The Wind for Princess Diana's funeral in 1997 basically set his place in music history. Not only was the performance live and flawless (I heard it live via the BBC on my Panasonic), the re-written words were good.

Kudos to Taupin for not only recognizing that the song would demand a rewrite for such an occasion (Elton was just going to perform Candle In The Wind as it was, Taupin said 'no -- you can't do that! There will be royalty, important people there...'), but he did a good job rewriting it.

When Taylor Swift can match that sort of level of artistry then I'd say she matches Elton.

Until that happens, she's more like Kurt Cobain -- a music superstar that at least partially represents a generation. She's more like Madonna than Elton.
 
bobdavcav said:
I'm really not sure who to compare Taylor Swift to, but I'd say Lady Gaga is more like Madonna than Taylor Swift.
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Cross-generational comparisons don't line up neatly. Taylor is a singer-songwriter whose stuff is generally personal and about her relationships. In that sense, she's kinda like Joni Mitchell. But in terms of commercial success, she's probably more like Linda Ronstadt, with an even longer string of big sellers.
 
michael hagerty said:
Cross-generational comparisons don't line up neatly. Taylor is a singer-songwriter whose stuff is generally personal and about her relationships. In that sense, she's kinda like Joni Mitchell. But in terms of commercial success, she's probably more like Linda Ronstadt, with an even longer string of big sellers.
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Linda Ronstadt never had 19 of the top 40 hits in a single month.
 
Kelly A said:
Linda Ronstadt never had 19 of the top 40 hits in a single month.
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The charts didn't work that way back in Ronstadt's prime years, nor did her labels (Capitol and Asylum) push anything other than her selected single to radio at any one time. Even if her fans were playing every track on "Heart Like a Wheel" or "Simple Dreams," Billboard had no way of knowing that. Another cross-generational comparison that doesn't work.
 
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