• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

And The Stiffs Just Keep On Comin'

With Rob Grill's passing a couple days ago...here are a couple great songs by the Grass Roots that deserved better chart performance...at least we can salute them here...

"Baby Hold On" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHQlUZGIXns

And the last Grass Roots title I remember 'KB playing..."Love Is What You Make It"...out about the time Jack Armstrong bolted for Cecil Heftel and 13Q/Pittsburgh - and Jeff Kaye's immortal "Great American Talent Hunt" took place. You may remember The Janitor won the slot but was gone within weeks, to be replaced by Brother Shane and his horoscope reports.

And all this digression is merely to point our that this song lasted about as long as The Janitor did...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw89aMdLKR0

Wonder if it was on the short-lived building blocks label ABC used early in 1973?
 
chas108 said:
With Rob Grill's passing a couple days ago...here are a couple great songs by the Grass Roots that deserved better chart performance...at least we can salute them here. "Baby Hold On" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHQlUZGIXns And the last Grass Roots title I remember 'KB playing..."Love Is What You Make It"...out about the time Jack Armstrong bolted for Cecil Heftel and 13Q/Pittsburgh - and Jeff Kaye's immortal "Great American Talent Hunt" took place. You may remember The Janitor won the slot but was gone within weeks, to be replaced by Brother Shane and his horoscope reports. And all this digression is merely to point our that this song lasted about as long as The Janitor did.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw89aMdLKR0Wonder if it was on the short-lived building blocks label ABC used early in 1973?
Click to expand...
Sad news. Rob had a stellar voice and great emotional range. Listeners and radio people alike will remember the Grass Roots as a sound track of one part of their lives. The group was known for its many hits and I'm also fond of a few of their stiffs: Tip Of My Tongue and Things I Should Have Said. Mo' trivia, Tip Of My Tongue was an "A" Side that stiffed and also the "B" Side of Things I Should Have Said, which barely cracked the Billboard Top 25 in 1967. RIP, Rob.

As to the Janitor, aka Warren Miller, a decent guy who had the misfortune of replacing a legend. IIRC, Jan-i-TOR lasted more than "a few weeks." More likely three months, which surpassed Frank Jolley's hold of the KB night slot. Frank lasted about two weeks before he returned to Dallas to resume his career. The Janitor should at least get some love and credit for having a name-type now used by countless CHR jocks and rap artists. In that department, he was a trend-setter.
 
JimPastrick said:
As to the Janitor, aka Warren Miller, a decent guy who had the misfortune of replacing a legend. IIRC, Jan-i-TOR lasted more than "a few weeks." More likely three months, which surpassed Frank Jolley's hold of the KB night slot. Frank lasted about two weeks before he returned to Dallas to resume his career. The Janitor should at least get some love and credit for having a name-type now used by countless CHR jocks and rap artists. In that department, he was a trend-setter.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jim, I stand corrected...I just remember Janitor wasn't around very long...in retrospect it really did seem like weeks but at that same time I was turning 16, getting my driver's license and my first radio job, three hours a week on Saturdays at tiny WKVT in Brattleboro, Vermont. So my life had shifted into a new gear. And although I'd have walked on broken shards of glass to work for Jeff Kaye, the last thing one would want to wish on somebody is to try to (insert picture of Joey Reynolds nailing his shoes to the PD's door) fill "your leeduh's" shoes.

I admit I wasn't a big Shane fan and honestly the next thing I remember about 'KB nights was you doing Saturdays late '73 and DB on weekday nights sometime in '74, after which Jim Quinn came on board.

Ans since this is the stiffs thread...I remember hearing Suzi Quatro's "48 Crash" on 'KB back in '74. A gigantic international hit that landed with a thud in the States.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk6kvVGPURA

BTW who was Frank Jolley?
 
chas108 said:
...BTW who was Frank Jolley?
Click to expand...
Frank Jolle (also Jolley) was brought to Buffalo by GM Bill Weaver to do nights at KB in late 1966. (Imagine if you will, coming from Dallas to Buffalo in December!) Frank was a top jock in Dallas at KBOX, which was in an all-out Top 40 battle with McLendon's KLIF (AM). As the story was told by more than one KB veteran, Weaver's teenage son, who either lived in or had gone to school in Dallas, thought very highly of Jolle, so Weaver hired him for nights at KB. It didn't work out and Frank went back to Dallas, regained success and went on to bigger things. Here's an interesting overview of Frank's travels: http://www.shboom.com/

Now back to the stiffs...
 
yugoidar said:
Never mind! I almost single handedly took the record-setting "Stiffs" thread totally off the tracks. My apologies!
Click to expand...

Whoa! Since neither Jim Pastrick or Yugoidar had a music mention in the previous two posts, what's one more?

Jim, I was surprised to learn that Jolley lasted beyond the "weekend marathon" appearance he made. He seemed to appear suddenly and then, with equal suddeness disappear. And that was fine with me, I didn't see him as a fit for the Mighty KB at all.

Maybe it just points up the differences in style between markets back then. As we've discussed face to face, there seemed to be a significant difference between the presentation of East Coast Top 40s vs. West Coast Top 40s back in the day. I guess our opinions depended on what we grew up on-what we were used to as listeners.

With apologies, back to what my friend Mr. Pastrick stated - Now back to the "stiffs"...
 
After reading about Frank Jolle(y) and his adventures with "Western Union" by the Five Americans, I'll get us back on track with two stiffs by the group. First, the follow-up to "Western Union"...

"Sound Of Love" (BB #36, CB #31) / "Sympathy" — Abnak 120 (1967)

Since that stiffed, they tried updating the "Western Union" technology with..

"Zip Code" (BB #36, CB #55) / "Sweet Bird of Youth" — Abnak 123 (1967)

Alas, they were doomed to be a one-hit wonder.
 
JimPastrick said:
Here's an interesting overview of Frank's travels: http://www.shboom.com/

Now back to the stiffs...
Click to expand...

Wow...thanks for sharing. And there's even a pic of Frank at 'KB...

A former co-worker from the old B94/Pittsburgh is now AM Drive at KLIF-FM(I93)/Dallas and posted a FB link not long ago to that station's long-lost heritage as perhaps the planet's first AM Top 40. He goes by Adam Bomb on-air and I can honestly say he was Pittsburgh's most entertaining night jock since Armstrong was at 13Q.

Really.

Hearing Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass' "The Work Song" in Frank Jolle's "Sh-Boom" demo reminded me of some of their stiffs...all great songs, many used in TV spots.

"Tijuana Taxi" (BB #38)
"Spanish Flea" (BB #27...despite massive prior exposure on "The Dating Game"?!)
"Casino Royale" (BB #27)
"Mexican Shuffle" didn't even make the Top 40...that one was used in ads for Clark's Teaberry Gum, chew it and do the "Teaberry Shuffle"...

One more thing...is it just me or did the Abnak label look like a cheap ripoff of Atlantic's 45 label? Back when I was a kid I thought maybe the two were related...

Have a stiff weekend, everyone!
 
While we're on the Manfred Mann kick, his follow up to the #1 Blinded By The Light did not fare so well as another Springsteen written song "Spirit In The Night" barely made the Top 40 at #40.
 
chas108 said:
Anyway...since this IS the "Stiffs" thread, here's another Duran Duran tune that received wide exposure but I'd think ultimately would belong here..."Girls On Film": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebz6I6OQjq8
Click to expand...

If I recall correctly, "Girls on Film" was given a second attempt in the USA after Duran Duran scored with the "Rio" album and "Hungry Like The Wolf." Their first, self-titled album with "Girls on Film" and "Planet Earth" was reissued here, augmented with what eventually became another Top 5 smash, "Is There Something I Should Know?"

But I bring up Duran Duran for another reason... should the latest single "All You Need Is Now"--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7Er5TsQrGg

--first issued in December 2010, now qualify for this topic? Despite heavy promotion, I
haven't heard it on the radio even once yet. Too bad, I think it's one of their better songs.
 
umtrr-author said:
chas108 said:
Anyway...since this IS the "Stiffs" thread, here's another Duran Duran tune that received wide exposure but I'd think ultimately would belong here..."Girls On Film": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebz6I6OQjq8
Click to expand...

If I recall correctly, "Girls on Film" was given a second attempt in the USA after Duran Duran scored with the "Rio" album and "Hungry Like The Wolf." Their first, self-titled album with "Girls on Film" and "Planet Earth" was reissued here, augmented with what eventually became another Top 5 smash, "Is There Something I Should Know?"

But I bring up Duran Duran for another reason... should the latest single "All You Need Is Now"--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7Er5TsQrGg

--first issued in December 2010, now qualify for this topic? Despite heavy promotion, I
haven't heard it on the radio even once yet. Too bad, I think it's one of their better songs.
Click to expand...

I'd like to hear a little more punch in the hook but that's just me...

It shipped with the April 2011 Promo Only Mainstream Top 40 CD. So far, nothing on Mediabase. AC/HAC/Triple A/Alternative/Top 40. Ain't lookin' good...I'd say if it doesn't qualify...it will in a few weeks.
 
The board seems pretty quiet the last couple of days. You could almost say a "Hush" has come over it. ;) The Hush I'm referring to is Billy Jo Royal's song which did not crack the top 50 and which Deep Purple remade a year later. Now, back to the summer slumber...
 
John C said:
The board seems pretty quiet the last couple of days. You could almost say a "Hush" has come over it. ;) The Hush I'm referring to is Billy Jo Royal's song which did not crack the top 50 and which Deep Purple remade a year later. Now, back to the summer slumber...
Click to expand...

Wow...I learned something today. Thanks John!

Sean Ross had a song in his Thursday column that brought back a flood of memories, even though I never heard it after its brief run...The Poppy Family's "Where Evil Grows", from Spring '71...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNg-GAnUxFQ

Terry Jacks claimed that Kurt Cobain acknowledged the influence of this song on "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Listen closely to the guitar break...

http://www.radio-info.com/programming/programming-music/canadian-mint-another-14-great-cancon-songs-you-might-not-know?utm_source=Subscribers&utm_campaign=5208d493ed-Ross_On_Radio_August_25_2011&utm_medium=email
 
"The Hush I'm referring to is Billy Jo Royal's song which did not crack the top 50 and which Deep Purple remade a year later. Now, back to the summer slumber..."

It got some airplay in Western NY when it was released, IIRC. back in the fall of 1966...it was on WBBF for a couple of weeks (must have made the charts for a moment or two after it was a "pick hit" before fading out) and I think KB might have been on it for a short time as well. It just didn't get the traction that Deep Purple got with it in '68.

What really stiffed out, may be Joe South's original (he wrote the song, and at one time intended it as a followup to the two top-20 chart hits he had as a performer, "Games People Play" and "Walk A Mile In My Shoes"...of course he's written a ton of pop and country hits for other people and made himself quite a career
 
chas108 said:
John C said:
The board seems pretty quiet the last couple of days. You could almost say a "Hush" has come over it. ;) The Hush I'm referring to is Billy Jo Royal's song which did not crack the top 50 and which Deep Purple remade a year later. Now, back to the summer slumber...
Click to expand...

Wow...I learned something today. Thanks John!

Sean Ross had a song in his Thursday column that brought back a flood of memories, even though I never heard it after its brief run...The Poppy Family's "Where Evil Grows", from Spring '71...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNg-GAnUxFQ

Terry Jacks claimed that Kurt Cobain acknowledged the influence of this song on "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Listen closely to the guitar break...

http://www.radio-info.com/programming/programming-music/canadian-mint-another-14-great-cancon-songs-you-might-not-know?utm_source=Subscribers&utm_campaign=5208d493ed-Ross_On_Radio_August_25_2011&utm_medium=email
Click to expand...

I have to give credit where credit is due, Chas. The "Hush" info came from WHTT and Bill Lacey's "Lost Classics". A happy Labor Day weekend to you all as we push on to 50,000 views! ;D
 


Back
Top Bottom