Re: yes, the Big 89 WLS...
> > Don't even get me started on CKLW. Yes, I'm glad I'm old
> > enough to remember that station, WLS, WABC, WCFL, 13Q,
> > WLAC(Nashville) and a host of other great stations while I
>
> > DXed at night on AM. For me, reception was better in the
> > daylight for CKLW. I could listen from sunup to sundown.
> I
> > primarily listened to afternoon drive after school.
> During
> > the summer I listened from mid-day to dusk. It was fun
> > listening. And even though CKLW repeated songs every two
> > hours, they were the same GREAT songs every two hours. I
> > liked some of the Canadian stuff they had to play, like
> > Randy Bachman & Trooper, the Johnson Family, etc. They
> also
> > played some R&B titles you didn't hear on traditional Top
> > 40's, like "I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing, Everybody's
> Got
> > A Thing" and other little-remembered titles by Funkadelic.
>
> > Other titles they played VERY early, like "Fame" by David
> > Bowie. They were playing it in May/June 1975 but it
> didn't
> > break nationally until mid-July. So in May/June it
> sounded
> > pretty interesting. After it broke it started to sound
> like
> > a "normal" song. But in May/June you were saying,
> > "Wow...what is THIS?" Uh, like I said, don't get me
> started
> > on CKLW!
> >
>
> Sorry about getting you started, but I'm glad I did because
> you helped me relive some CKLW memories. For me, being able
> to be deep in "Big 8" land was actually one of best things
> about attending "that school up north". (Although most of
> my friends preferred the then-new AOR WRIF, programmed by
> young Lee Abrams who soon used some his 'RIF concepts to
> create the Superstars format that WLVQ & a ton of other
> AOR's debuted with. I liked 'RIF a lot too, but had a
> special thing for the Big 8.)
>
> I loved CKLW's tasty R&B nuggets. Even the booming 20/20
> newscasts were exciting.
>
> I liked a lot of the CanCon too, but to put things in
> perspective I also have to recall them giving us some, ahem,
> all-time "great" Canadian acts like "Terry Jacks & The Poppy
> Family featuring Susan Jacks". Ahhh...who could ever forget
> those classic lyrics: "We had joy, we had fun, we had
> seasons in the sun, but the hills that we climbed were just
> seasons out of time." I wish I COULD forget them!
>
> But don't want to end on a down note here! CKLW was a radio
> gem -- and I just found a website dedicated to it!
>
> http://www.thebig8.net/
On northeastairchecks.com , you will find the complete CKLW reunion show that ran on the present-day CKLW in 2002. I recorded it from my vantage point in Toledo on VCR tape. Max Kinkel's website also has quite a bit of CK stuff as well.
And don't get ME started on The Big 8! Best AM audio ever...best board ops ever...TEN YEARS before I ever heard a board-op error on CKLW. There's more Cancon vinyl in this room then you can listen to in a week! Did'ja know that Detroit bands like Alice Cooper, Funkadelic, The Detroit Emeralds, Fabulous Counts, et al used to record in Toronto so their songs would be considered Cancon, so Rosalie could add 'em?
> > Don't even get me started on CKLW. Yes, I'm glad I'm old
> > enough to remember that station, WLS, WABC, WCFL, 13Q,
> > WLAC(Nashville) and a host of other great stations while I
>
> > DXed at night on AM. For me, reception was better in the
> > daylight for CKLW. I could listen from sunup to sundown.
> I
> > primarily listened to afternoon drive after school.
> During
> > the summer I listened from mid-day to dusk. It was fun
> > listening. And even though CKLW repeated songs every two
> > hours, they were the same GREAT songs every two hours. I
> > liked some of the Canadian stuff they had to play, like
> > Randy Bachman & Trooper, the Johnson Family, etc. They
> also
> > played some R&B titles you didn't hear on traditional Top
> > 40's, like "I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing, Everybody's
> Got
> > A Thing" and other little-remembered titles by Funkadelic.
>
> > Other titles they played VERY early, like "Fame" by David
> > Bowie. They were playing it in May/June 1975 but it
> didn't
> > break nationally until mid-July. So in May/June it
> sounded
> > pretty interesting. After it broke it started to sound
> like
> > a "normal" song. But in May/June you were saying,
> > "Wow...what is THIS?" Uh, like I said, don't get me
> started
> > on CKLW!
> >
>
> Sorry about getting you started, but I'm glad I did because
> you helped me relive some CKLW memories. For me, being able
> to be deep in "Big 8" land was actually one of best things
> about attending "that school up north". (Although most of
> my friends preferred the then-new AOR WRIF, programmed by
> young Lee Abrams who soon used some his 'RIF concepts to
> create the Superstars format that WLVQ & a ton of other
> AOR's debuted with. I liked 'RIF a lot too, but had a
> special thing for the Big 8.)
>
> I loved CKLW's tasty R&B nuggets. Even the booming 20/20
> newscasts were exciting.
>
> I liked a lot of the CanCon too, but to put things in
> perspective I also have to recall them giving us some, ahem,
> all-time "great" Canadian acts like "Terry Jacks & The Poppy
> Family featuring Susan Jacks". Ahhh...who could ever forget
> those classic lyrics: "We had joy, we had fun, we had
> seasons in the sun, but the hills that we climbed were just
> seasons out of time." I wish I COULD forget them!
>
> But don't want to end on a down note here! CKLW was a radio
> gem -- and I just found a website dedicated to it!
>
> http://www.thebig8.net/
On northeastairchecks.com , you will find the complete CKLW reunion show that ran on the present-day CKLW in 2002. I recorded it from my vantage point in Toledo on VCR tape. Max Kinkel's website also has quite a bit of CK stuff as well.
And don't get ME started on The Big 8! Best AM audio ever...best board ops ever...TEN YEARS before I ever heard a board-op error on CKLW. There's more Cancon vinyl in this room then you can listen to in a week! Did'ja know that Detroit bands like Alice Cooper, Funkadelic, The Detroit Emeralds, Fabulous Counts, et al used to record in Toronto so their songs would be considered Cancon, so Rosalie could add 'em?