Easily Amused
Banned
In the early 70s, CFTR AM 680 was also playing a contemporary hits format. Signal roared into north Buffalo quite clearly; it was the preset on my clock radio.
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And The Stiffs Just Keep On Comin'
- Thread starter Radknowski
- Start date
Congratulations, Easily Amused! Your post got this historic thread to 100 pages (at least on the iPad I use). This thread was started by Radnowski on October 21, 2008. His bio says he’s not posted on radiodiscussions.com since 2020. Radnowski, if you’re still around, please let us know! I’m not inclined to geek around the rest of this website to confirm. But 100 pages for a single thread has to be a record. Nearly all of us who continue to follow the Buffalo-Niagara board have contributed to this thread at some point over the past 17 years. With all the songs that have aired on the radio since the start of the rock era, could there be enough other stiffs not mentioned in this thread to get us to 200 pages?
I’ll add a song to get us going. I was listening to a ‘60s music playlist on one of the music services I subscribe to. I heard The Doors “Runnin’ Blue” the other day. I know I hadn’t heard it since KB played it “back in the day.” Starts with Jim Morrison singing a cappella “Poor Otis dead and gone.” Wikipedia says “Runnin’ Blue” topped out at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. It qualifies as a “stiff!”
That tune was actually a bit of genius in the way it flowed between different genres of music. Part of the song has a little bit of country/bluegrass influence.
They also had "Pretty Lady" which only went to No. 53 here in the US.
You don't have to go back to oldies to find lots of music from significant artists that simply don't get airplay today. There are a ton of artists who were huge in the '60, '70s, '80s, and '90, and all the way up to today who have put out great music and albums that simply don't slot into today's tight formats. Record companies no long have the same influence on airplay that they once did as shown by YouTube and Tik Tok hits slipping into the mainstream. Dozens of groups who sell out tours still can't get new music on current radio for more than a quick sample. How fast did the Rolling Stones "Hackney Diamonds" fall off radio playlists?
A tribute to the brilliant Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys: They had a slew of hits, but they also released a few stiffs. One of their finest songs, "God Only Knows" is a masterpiece. The B-side of "Wouldn't It be Nice" which peaked at #8 on the Billboard charts, "God Only Knows" technically peaked at #39. This is a case of the B-side actually being a better song than the A-side. Of course, the same debate could be made for countless Beatles B-sides. The Beach boys' "Break Away" would be considered a genuine stiff. It peaked at #63.
Those were both Top 20 hits. Very big radio play.
How about "I Love You" by People from 1968? It was originally a Zombies B-side.
Not a stiff, got plenty of airplay and was a Billboard top 15 hit. One-hit wonder band, yes. Stiff, no.
with Larry Norman, who became the founding father of Jesus Rock
"I Love You" was originally the B-side of the Zombies tune "Whenever You're Ready," which "bubbled under" the Hot 100 at No. 110. Now there's a stiff!
If you notice on the right side of the record label, it lists the song's producer as "Captain Mikey." In case you don't know, he was a legendary radio DJ and PD in the 60s and 70s. At the time, he was PD at KLIV San Jose, and the band People was based in San Jose. He managed them, and also had a hand in the local band Syndicate Of Sound. He was the first to play their hit "Hey Little Girl."
After his success in San Jose, Captain Mikey moved to LA where he worked at a number of stations, including KFI, KLAC, and KMET-FM, where he was known as Mikel Hunter. Apparently he was the one who discovered Dr. Demento, and brought him to KMET in 1972.