• 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'

Getting back to the instrumentals. I can't believe (but don't think it has) it has not been mentioned on this thread. I realize it's not a stiff, but it could be the "theme" of this thread- Herb Alpert "Rise" :eek: :D
 
John C said:
Getting back to the instrumentals. I can't believe (but don't think it has) it has not been mentioned on this thread. I realize it's not a stiff, but it could be the "theme" of this thread- Herb Alpert "Rise" :eek: :D
Click to expand...

Well, Savage went "all inclusive" on the Tijuana Brass material a ways back. BUT, I believe Herbie was solo on this, so "cha-ching" ;D

Cudos to Penrod for beating me to the punch on the locals - Spro-Gyra & Mangione. (major fill material!! Even in morning shows a la Ferdinand J. Smith etc.)
 
heydaybegone said:
Cudos to Penrod for beating me to the punch on the locals - Spro-Gyra & Mangione. (major fill material!! Even in morning shows a la Ferdinand J. Smith etc.)
Click to expand...

Thanks, hdbg! Any talk about locals would not be complete without Tommy Shannon's "Wild Weekend", the instrumental version by the Rebels aka Rockin' Rebels aka Buffalo Rebels. I used to sing along with the Tommy Shannon theme song when listening to him evenings on 'KB in the early '60s.

This was a time that instrumentals were major hits- look at "Summer Place" as the top song of the entire year. 'KB also played the theme from "Exodus" and "Stranger on the Shore" by Mister Aker Bilk.
 
JimMcGrath said:
Would Al Caiola's "Bonanza" qualify for a mention here?
Click to expand...

Sure would, reached #19 on Billboard's charts, and one that reached #10 was Mike Post and Pete Carpenter "The Rockford Files" from the album "Railhead Overture"

There's a slew of them, Nelson Riddle's "Route 66" and Duane Eddy's "The Ballad of Paladin" from "Have Gun Will Travel" among the classic TV tunes. Even a stiff candidate with Lawrence Welk's version of "My Three Sons" which only made it to #55 on the charts.
 
Instrumentals that are stuck in my memory:
Telstar - Shadows
Nut Rocker - B. Bumble & The Stingers
Rebel Rouser - Duane Eddy (WNY born)
Tequila - The Champs
 
For your Saturday night consumption, in moderation of course, how about a repeat of "Nutrocker," not by B. Bumble and the Stingers, but by Emerson, Lake & Palmer who must have loved this stuff, because ELP also did a smashing version of Peter Gunn Theme.

BTW, you've not heard "Nutrocker" given its proper due until you've heard it performed on accordion by a proficient polka meister. Seriously. This dude ain't bad, but I recall hearing Johnnie Blazanczek really tear it up on the ol' squeeze box years ago.

But that's not what I came here for...

I submit, again for your listening and dancing pleasure, Art Of Noise, "Legs."

Getting back to Lawrence Welk... there's "Calcutta," a song that Aunt Sophie played to the point of making terrorists want to opt for water-boarding; pity that a razor blade mysteriously made it unplayable late one night.
 
Radknowski said:
Silkie said:
Somebody mentioned "More" earlier in this thread...
Click to expand...

It sounded familiar... yup, there it was, way back,back,back,back,back on post number one,one,one,one,one...
Click to expand...

LOL - True enough; however, when I looked back a few pages I noted that it appeared to have been used as an adverb, which must have reminded me that it was on the thread, so I added that beautiful site. I can only plead music in my system - and, of course, my stupid.
 
JimPastrick said:
LOL, holy cripe Bill... that should have been, if only I was paying attention at the time. (BTW, never liked being tagged with that jock name because the REAL Don Wade is a radio legend, IMHO.) I particularly liked "Perfidia" by the Ventures, "Sleepwalk" by Santo & Johnny, (a killer cover version is done by Jeff Beck) and a genuine stiff, though also a groovy little ditty (not about Jack & Dianne) called "Twine Time" by Alvin Cash and The Crawlers. Add "Topsy, Part 2" for the Saturday Night House Party and a Classic Stax-Volt session song "Last Night" by Booker T & the MGs and you're good to go.
Click to expand...

Twine Time was a HUGE hit in Providence when I first started on the radio back when Marconi was still young.

Little known fact: Cliff Nobles and Company (The Horse) was essentially the same group as MFSB (TSOP).

Ahh, "Calcutta." WDRC used to do a contest called "Discaway," where they gave a copy of the record playing to the first person who could call and identify it at the sounder. I was about 13 years old and I won a copy of this Lawrence Welk "classic," probably because everyone else listening was too embarrassed to call in. It was the first and only time I ever won anything on the radio.

Let's get into some 60s soul stifferoos now, shall we? I'll start with James and Bobby Purify, "I Take What I Want"
 
Penrod Rightout said:
This was a time that instrumentals were major hits- look at "Summer Place" as the top song of the entire year. 'KB also played the theme from "Exodus" and "Stranger on the Shore" by Mister Aker Bilk.
Click to expand...

Where I grew up, the Exodus theme was done by Ferrante and Teicher, who also had hits with the Theme from One Eyed Jacks and West Side Story ("Tonight")
 
Debaser said:
Ahh, "Calcutta." WDRC used to do a contest called "Discaway," where they gave a copy of the record playing to the first person who could call and identify it at the sounder. I was about 13 years old and I won a copy of this Lawrence Welk "classic," probably because everyone else listening was too embarrassed to call in. It was the first and only time I ever won anything on the radio.
Click to expand...

Who knew you'd have something in common with the painter's Aunt Sophie. "Here comes dat man, Don Berns!" Must be the ghost of Frank Saj! Er, presuming Frank has gone to the great transmitter site in the sky. Soul Stiffs?

Stax-Volt stuff has always captivated me. I was listening to this song at warped volume earlier today. First heard it on 1080 WUFO played by a jock named Red Blood, who was one of those hot handed pot-rockin' soul jocks. I'm sure this song was a hit on the soul charts, but don't know how it ranked crossing over to Top 40. Everybody knows Eddie Floyd for "Knock On Wood," but 'Big Bird' is a great song too. This YouTube version features a damn fine band, too. I'd listen to WUFO and WBLK for hours hoping to hear this song. In the meantime, I'd hear songs that wouldn't, for the most part, be played on WKBW, WNIA or WYSL. I'll put Wilson Pickett's "Ninety Nine and a Half Won't Do" (written in part by Eddie Floyd) up for nomination too. Not stiffs in my book, but songs that weren't heard that much on Top 40 stations in the north, as much as you'd expect.
 
Debaser said:
Penrod Rightout said:
This was a time that instrumentals were major hits- look at "Summer Place" as the top song of the entire year. 'KB also played the theme from "Exodus" and "Stranger on the Shore" by Mister Aker Bilk.
Click to expand...

Where I grew up, the Exodus theme was done by Ferrante and Teicher, who also had hits with the Theme from One Eyed Jacks and West Side Story ("Tonight")
Click to expand...

IIRC Rock 102 used to play "Music Box Dancer" and "Chariots of Fire" when those were hits. I think Robert Miles' "Children" (1996) was the last "hit" instrumental - mostly played on dance stations.
 
Rob Stutson said:
I think Robert Miles' "Children" (1996) was the last "hit" instrumental - mostly played on dance stations.
Click to expand...

And first played on the radio in North America by some guy named Dr. Trance at Energy 108 in Toronto.
But did he get a gold record for that one? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo :mad:
 


Back
Top Bottom