A question about the audience

[michael hagerty]

Any song reaching the top 5 needs to have very wide support across the bandwidth of the market.

And ELO had exactly one of those. Which gets play.

 

[semoochie]

After hearing it again, I have to say that I don't really want to hear it everyday, for the rest of my life!

 

[firepoint525]

ELO always had me thinking they were on the verge of doing something remarkable...that the next one was going to blow the roof off. But no...and by the Out Of The Blue LP, it was painfully obvious. Both CTListener and Big A's comments sum it up.

ELO was one of those groups who hit their peak in the late '70s. Nearly everything on all their albums from Face the Music through Discovery was radio-friendly and airplay-worthy. The problem with Out of the Blue is that Jeff Lynne should have scrapped about half the songs on that album, and instead released a single-record disc. It would have been one of his finest. Discovery is probably overall still my favorite ELO album. Nearly everything on that one could have been a single.

And let's not forget that "Fire On High" from Face the Music was the CBS Sports Spectacular theme music for years! While we were hearing "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" every Saturday afternoon on ABC's Wide World of Sports, we were hearing "Fire On High" over on CBS.

 

[firepoint525]

Anyone besides me remember the "coffee generation" commercials of the '80s? They were sort of generic "drink coffee" spots, and did not promote any particular brand of coffee, but they used ELO's "Hold On Tight" as their theme music, which to me had nothing to do with coffee, and probably ruined ELO's overall credibility in the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rea-yBgOSo

We would see these commercials, and sing "hold on tight to your coffee!" ;D

I STILL associate that song with the "coffee generation" commercials!

 

[CTListener]

ELO always had me thinking they were on the verge of doing something remarkable...that the next one was going to blow the roof off. But no...and by the Out Of The Blue LP, it was painfully obvious. Both CTListener and Big A's comments sum it up.

ELO was one of those groups who hit their peak in the late '70s. Nearly everything on all their albums from Face the Music through Discovery was radio-friendly and airplay-worthy. The problem with Out of the Blue is that Jeff Lynne should have scrapped about half the songs on that album, and instead released a single-record disc. It would have been one of his finest. Discovery is probably overall still my favorite ELO album. Nearly everything on that one could have been a single.

I'm partial to A New World Record, and could say the same thing about nearly all the tracks on that one. Listening to British radio online as I do, I've come to be a big fan of "Mr. Blue Sky," which seems to be the most frequently played ELO track over there yet is virtually ignored here. Same with Queen's "Can't Stop Me Now" and the Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset" -- heroes there, zeroes here; I wonder what it was about these three songs that caused the labels to push them in the UK but not in the US.

Anyway, back to ELO. With the uptempo lean of most classic hits stations, I'm noticing that their slower hits, "Strange Magic" and "Telephone Line," aren't getting played much anymore. They both fit into the band's peak years, so that's not the problem. I must agree with Michael, though, on the uptempo tracks that radio has latched onto: radio's got it right.

 

[michael hagerty]

Anyone besides me remember the "coffee generation" commercials of the '80s? They were sort of generic "drink coffee" spots, and did not promote any particular brand of coffee, but they used ELO's "Hold On Tight" as their theme music, which to me had nothing to do with coffee, and probably ruined ELO's overall credibility in the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rea-yBgOSo

We would see these commercials, and sing "hold on tight to your coffee!" ;D

I STILL associate that song with the "coffee generation" commercials!

I remember...and agree. Credibility killer.

 

[michael hagerty]

ELO always had me thinking they were on the verge of doing something remarkable...that the next one was going to blow the roof off. But no...and by the Out Of The Blue LP, it was painfully obvious. Both CTListener and Big A's comments sum it up.

ELO was one of those groups who hit their peak in the late '70s. Nearly everything on all their albums from Face the Music through Discovery was radio-friendly and airplay-worthy. The problem with Out of the Blue is that Jeff Lynne should have scrapped about half the songs on that album, and instead released a single-record disc. It would have been one of his finest. Discovery is probably overall still my favorite ELO album. Nearly everything on that one could have been a single.

I'm partial to A New World Record, and could say the same thing about nearly all the tracks on that one. Listening to British radio online as I do, I've come to be a big fan of "Mr. Blue Sky," which seems to be the most frequently played ELO track over there yet is virtually ignored here. Same with Queen's "Can't Stop Me Now" and the Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset" -- heroes there, zeroes here; I wonder what it was about these three songs that caused the labels to push them in the UK but not in the US.

Anyway, back to ELO. With the uptempo lean of most classic hits stations, I'm noticing that their slower hits, "Strange Magic" and "Telephone Line," aren't getting played much anymore. They both fit into the band's peak years, so that's not the problem. I must agree with Michael, though, on the uptempo tracks that radio has latched onto: radio's got it right.

As a programmer at the time, I can tell you, Columbia pushed "Mr. Blue Sky" as hard here as anywhere. It just didn't take and stalled at #35.

If you look over ELO's lifetime U.S. chart performance, it's a few flashes in the top 10, one top 5, a handful of near-misses (#11-20) and a bunch of outright stiffs.

Considering that none of them were truly bad records and that Jeff Lynne knew how to write a hook, it really comes down to this: The U.S. wasn't that into them. A hit here, a hit there, but the audience didn't want a steady diet.

I'll note I was a big fan from "Roll Over Beethoven" onward and I thought "Eldorado", "Face The Music" and "A New World Record" were great albums, but even if "Out Of The Blue" had been edited down to one disc of the strongest tracks, it wouldn't have been any better, in my opinion, than the three albums before it. Jeff was very narrow but dressed it up well enough to make it look like he wasn't...for a while.

 

[firepoint525]

I'm partial to A New World Record, and could say the same thing about nearly all the tracks on that one. Listening to British radio online as I do, I've come to be a big fan of "Mr. Blue Sky," which seems to be the most frequently played ELO track over there yet is virtually ignored here. Same with Queen's "Can't Stop Me Now" and the Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset" -- heroes there, zeroes here; I wonder what it was about these three songs that caused the labels to push them in the UK but not in the US.

I like New World Record, too. Another album full of coulda been singles. As for "Mr. Blue Sky," wasn't it the third, maybe fourth single from Out of the Blue? Subsequent singles tend not to do as well, but "Telephone Line," which you mentioned in the next paragraph, was the exception to that. As for the Kinks, I wish that we could have the Coca-Cola version of "Lola" played here in the states. I know about the BBC getting their panties in a wad over product mentions in song, but I would like to hear that one as it was originally intended.

Anyway, back to ELO. With the uptempo lean of most classic hits stations, I'm noticing that their slower hits, "Strange Magic" and "Telephone Line," aren't getting played much anymore. They both fit into the band's peak years, so that's not the problem. I must agree with Michael, though, on the uptempo tracks that radio has latched onto: radio's got it right.

We have Hippie Radio here in Nashville, so maybe I am getting a skewed view. I hear "Can't Get It Out of My Head," "Evil Woman," "Strange Magic," the New World Record singles (except for "Telephone Line"), "Turn to Stone", and yes, "Mr. Blue Sky." I don't hear anything any more recent than that, except "Don't Bring Me Down" on classic rock radio, so apparently, it is a time-frame that Hippie Radio is going for, not necessarily tempo of the songs.

 

[michael hagerty]

"Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single off "Out Of The Blue", following "Turn To Stone".

 

[firepoint525]

"Calling America" from 1985 is a forgotten gem. I remember it getting some airplay on my local top 40 station back at that time, but that was about it.

Lynne's credibility may have been ruined by the "coffee generation" commercials, but at least I believe that those came AFTER "Hold On Tight" had already run its course as a hit. The other problem for Lynne was the "garage band" revolution of the late '70s and early '80s, which led to the new wave movement, the sparse production of which was the antithesis to what Lynne had been doing over the years. At least he (apparently) learned his lesson, however briefly. "Don't Bring Me Down" was their only hit not to have cellos in it.

As for the Traveling Wilburys, their individual members, (Roy Orbison, George Harrison, et al), and even the Beatles Anthology project, Lynne made everyone that he produced sound like a guest vocalist on an ELO record. :

 

[firepoint525]

"Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single off "Out Of The Blue", following "Turn To Stone".

When was "Sweet Talkin' Woman"? I seemed to recall that that one got some play in summer '78, and peaked in the teens.

Also remember a Jeff Lynne solo comeback (although credited to ELO) in 2001 which got some play on AAA radio, but I do not remember the name of the tune that they played from it.

 

[unitron]

Are there really people out there in the radio audience who, upon hearing the announcer say "We've got some Van Morrison for you right after this", breathe a sigh of relief, secure in the knowledge that they are going to hear "Brown-eyed Girl" and are in no danger of being exposed to "Domino", "Moondance", or "Jackie Wilson Said"?

A sigh of relief to hear "Brown Eyed Girl"? That song has been flogged to death just like the other Van retreads.

Hence my original question.

 

[CTListener]

Are there really people out there in the radio audience who, upon hearing the announcer say "We've got some Van Morrison for you right after this", breathe a sigh of relief, secure in the knowledge that they are going to hear "Brown-eyed Girl" and are in no danger of being exposed to "Domino", "Moondance", or "Jackie Wilson Said"?

A sigh of relief to hear "Brown Eyed Girl"? That song has been flogged to death just like the other Van retreads.

Hence my original question.

If radio stations were getting negative reactions to "Brown Eyed Girl," they'd have stopped playing it years ago. As it is, they are now starting to reduce its exposure because it's getting closer to aging out of the ever-evolving classic hits format. As one of the most durable songs of the '60s, it will hang on longer than most others, but eventually it will go the way of "Rag Doll" and "The Twist" -- it will be totally incompatible with a format that will have songs like "When Doves Cry" and "Into the Groove" as core tracks.

 

[michael hagerty]

"Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single off "Out Of The Blue", following "Turn To Stone".

When was "Sweet Talkin' Woman"? I seemed to recall that that one got some play in summer '78, and peaked in the teens.

It was the third single.

 

[CTListener]

"Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single off "Out Of The Blue", following "Turn To Stone".

When was "Sweet Talkin' Woman"? I seemed to recall that that one got some play in summer '78, and peaked in the teens.

It was the third single.

And it only hit No. 17. But it's got to be the most frequently track of their on DRC-FM here, and I hear it a lot on other classic hits stations. Great song, my personal favorite -- I'm glad the test audiences agree. Funny, though, that I don't hear the song that blatantly stole from it, Huey Lewis' "Do You Believe in Love," nearly as often.

 

[firepoint525]

"Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single off "Out Of The Blue", following "Turn To Stone".

When was "Sweet Talkin' Woman"? I seemed to recall that that one got some play in summer '78, and peaked in the teens.

It was the third single.

"Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single off "Out Of The Blue", following "Turn To Stone".

When was "Sweet Talkin' Woman"? I seemed to recall that that one got some play in summer '78, and peaked in the teens.

It was the third single.

And it only hit No. 17. But it's got to be the most frequently track of their on DRC-FM here, and I hear it a lot on other classic hits stations. Great song, my personal favorite -- I'm glad the test audiences agree. Funny, though, that I don't hear the song that blatantly stole from it, Huey Lewis' "Do You Believe in Love," nearly as often.

Y'all have it backwards. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" preceded "Mr. Blue Sky." The sweet talker was second, and the blue sky guy was third. I have not noticed any Huey Lewis connection to "Sweet Talkin' Woman," although I remember him claiming that "Ghostbusters" was a ripoff of "I Want a New Drug," when actually, it was more of a ripoff of "Soul Finger" by the Bar Kays from the '60s.

If radio stations were getting negative reactions to "Brown Eyed Girl," they'd have stopped playing it years ago. As it is, they are now starting to reduce its exposure because it's getting closer to aging out of the ever-evolving classic hits format. As one of the most durable songs of the '60s, it will hang on longer than most others, but eventually it will go the way of "Rag Doll" and "The Twist" -- it will be totally incompatible with a format that will have songs like "When Doves Cry" and "Into the Groove" as core tracks.

Interesting that you would use as an example one that was never issued as a single (at least as an A-side), although it may have been a 12-incher at some point.

 

[michael hagerty]

"Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single off "Out Of The Blue", following "Turn To Stone".

When was "Sweet Talkin' Woman"? I seemed to recall that that one got some play in summer '78, and peaked in the teens.

It was the third single.

Y'all have it backwards. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" preceded "Mr. Blue Sky." The sweet talker was second, and the blue sky guy was third.

You're right. Don't know how I got that one sideways. Thanks for catching it.

 

[michael hagerty]

Actually, now I do. Checked Billboard. "Mr. Blue Sky" was released in the UK as the second single and "Turn To Stone" as the third. The discography I consulted listed them in UK release order.

 

[CTListener]

"Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single off "Out Of The Blue", following "Turn To Stone".

When was "Sweet Talkin' Woman"? I seemed to recall that that one got some play in summer '78, and peaked in the teens.

It was the third single.

"Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single off "Out Of The Blue", following "Turn To Stone".

When was "Sweet Talkin' Woman"? I seemed to recall that that one got some play in summer '78, and peaked in the teens.

It was the third single.

And it only hit No. 17. But it's got to be the most frequently track of their on DRC-FM here, and I hear it a lot on other classic hits stations. Great song, my personal favorite -- I'm glad the test audiences agree. Funny, though, that I don't hear the song that blatantly stole from it, Huey Lewis' "Do You Believe in Love," nearly as often.

Y'all have it backwards. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" preceded "Mr. Blue Sky." The sweet talker was second, and the blue sky guy was third. I have not noticed any Huey Lewis connection to "Sweet Talkin' Woman," although I remember him claiming that "Ghostbusters" was a ripoff of "I Want a New Drug," when actually, it was more of a ripoff of "Soul Finger" by the Bar Kays from the '60s.

If radio stations were getting negative reactions to "Brown Eyed Girl," they'd have stopped playing it years ago. As it is, they are now starting to reduce its exposure because it's getting closer to aging out of the ever-evolving classic hits format. As one of the most durable songs of the '60s, it will hang on longer than most others, but eventually it will go the way of "Rag Doll" and "The Twist" -- it will be totally incompatible with a format that will have songs like "When Doves Cry" and "Into the Groove" as core tracks.

Interesting that you would use as an example one that was never issued as a single (at least as an A-side), although it may have been a 12-incher at some point.

I was reaching for a typical Madonna track and that one came to mind. You can replace it with "Material Girl" or"Holiday" or "Like a Virgin" if you desire. I have a feeling they're all going to be classic hits radio staples well into the 2020s.

 

[michael hagerty]

I was reaching for a typical Madonna track and that one came to mind. You can replace it with "Material Girl" or"Holiday" or "Like a Virgin" if you desire. I have a feeling they're all going to be classic hits radio staples well into the 2020s.

The future is now...

80s tracks played on KOOL-FM in Phoenix so far today:

Blondie: Call Me
Kool & The Gang: Celebration
Rick Springfield: Jesse's Girl
Starship: Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
Don Henley: Boys Of Summer
Michael Jackson: Beat It
Queen: Another One Bites The Dust
Police: Wrapped Around Your Finger
Hall & Oates: I Can't Go For That
Madonna: Holiday
Billy Joel: You May Be Right
Michael Jackson: The Way You Make Me Feel
Steve Winwood: While You See A Chance
Tears For Fears: Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Kenny Loggins: I'm Alright
Steve Winwood: Roll With It
Romantics: Talking In Your Sleep
Tom Petty: I Won't Back Down
Go-Gos: Our Lips Are Sealed
Billy Joel: It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
Bruce Springsteen: Hungry Heart
Hall & Oates: Maneater
Bon Jovi: Never Say Goodbye
George Benson: Turn Your Love Around
Phil Collins: Sussudio
Moody Blues: Your Wildest Dreams
Michael Jackson: Billie Jean
Human League: Don't You Want Me
REO Speedwagon: Keep On Loving You
Steve Winwood: Higher Love
Billy Joel: Tell Her About It
Madonna: Lucky Star
Rolling Stones: Start Me Up
Huey Lewis & The News: The Heart of Rock And Roll
Honeydrippers: Sea Of Love
Smokey Robinson: Cruisin'