Harry Davis said:
Amusing that these "oldies" stations will morph into "Christmas" stations but refuse to inject good songs into the playlist. "Fresh Air" is a timeless song that deserves airplay for a very logical reason - it sounds good.
If WODS tried playing "Fresh Air" these days, it would make practically all their listeners say "What's this?" and change the station. It's not a favorite good time oldie that their listeners know all the words to and can sing along with, and that's what their audience wants.
It only made Billboard #49 as a single in the fall of 1970. They would never play it. Most everything WODS plays in their regular format was Billboard Top Ten, which, again, is what their listeners want. Big, familiar, mainstream hits.
Of course, for Christmas, they'll play most anything, just because it's a Christmas (or winter) song. That's a different phoenomenon, one I've never really understood.
chitchatjf said:
Eli Polonsky said:
chitchatjf said:
No variety and always the 7" versions (Why can't they sneak in an album or 12" version once in awhile)
Because they know that most listeners who want long album versions are listening to WZLX. Most listeners to WODS want the music of Top 40 radio in the late 60's and 70's, which always played the 7" versions. Long album versions were only played on FM progressive album rock stations in those days, and are now (sometimes) played on Classic Rock stations, not Oldies stations which play the 7" AM Top 40 versions for those who grew up listening to that style of radio.
Then why not at night? During the day the 45. Late at night the long version. Besides you CAN'T get an edited version of Light my fire anyway. It's usually the long version. They don't edit American Pie.
Radio stations can get the original edited 45 version of "Light My Fire". It's available on various oldies CD hits compilations. The station does not edit it themselves. That's the version they play, like AM Top 40 stations did in the late 60's from the 45.
"American Pie" was the same length version on both the single and the album. It's the only version that was ever available so that's the version that Top 40 stations played when it came out in the early 70's, and the version that Oldies stations play now. There was never any other version.
WODS listeners expect the same music whether it's day or night, just like Top 40 stations in the 60's and 70's played the same music and the same versions day and night. WODS knows that WZLX and WROR play the long version of "Light My Fire" because they appeal more to former FM album rock listeners, so WODS caters to the audience who wants the same versions they heard on Top 40 AM radio, which was the single version day or night.
In the summer of 1967 when "Light My Fire" was a hit, commercial rock stations in Boston were all Top 40 stations (WRKO AM/FM, WBZ, and WMEX). They all played only the 45 version, day or night. The only station in the area where I heard the album version of "Light My Fire" in 1967 was on MIT college station WTBS (now WMBR). WBCN didn't start playing album rock until March 1968.
