Guess What I Heard?

[Biondi4Mayor]

OK, I thought it might be interesting to have a thread where we can post some of the songs we find "interesting" that are getting played on classic hits radio. So, if you hear a song that really shocks you, surprises you, or a HUGE hit you haven't heard in ages, please share and let us know what station you heard it on.

I'll start---
While listening to Tom Kent in the 11PM hour (at least on one station where I'm at) he does a #1's show, and plays some real great ones surprisingly.
-"Love Is Blue" - Paul Mauriat
-"Morning After" - Maureen McGovern
-"Brand New Key" - Melanie
-"Harper Valley PTA" - Jeannie C Riley
-"Kyrie" - Mr. Mister
-"Want Ads" - Honey Cone
-"In The Year 2525" - Zager & Evans
-"They Long To Be (Close To You)" - Carpenters
-"Frankenstein" - Edgar Winter Group
-"One Bad Apple" - Osmonds
-"Keep On Truckin'" Eddie Kendricks
-"Thank God I'm A Country Boy" - John Denver

Anyway, if you've got Tom Kent around you, try and find if they broadcast his #1 hour, its a really great listen (something I never thought I'd have to say about Tom Kent).

Also on his "Live" : Request Show, someone called in for this one---
"Doctors Orders" - Carol Douglas !!!!!!!!!!!!

Haven't heard anything noteworthy coming out of CBS or Cumulus stations, I did hear "Downtown" on a Clear Channel (WRIT) which was nice, cause that one hit the trash can in my area a while back.

What have you all heard? Let's try and keep it to terrestrial radio only, otherwise I could fill pages of interesting internet listening.

 

[firepoint525]

We have Tom Kent on Friday evenings here (all '80s) and Saturday nights (party music) on our AC station. Best part: they bumped Delilah to put him on!

I wish that we had him on the rest of the week, as well! 8)

 

[Biondi4Mayor]

You know what, I heard "Doctor's Orders" on his Party Show, not his request show..my bad.

He's sorta growing on me, more because of the music. I'm a little angry cause they replaced a superb
small-time DJ to make room for what is a 24/7 station with all Tom Kent save for like 4 hours on Sunday.

 

[Silkie]

Haven't heard him in a pretty good while, but he's a class act who knows the deal.

 

[oldies76]

While listening to Tom Kent in the 11PM hour (at least on one station where I'm at) he does a #1's show, and plays some real great ones surprisingly.
-"Love Is Blue" - Paul Mauriat
-"Morning After" - Maureen McGovern
-"Brand New Key" - Melanie
-"Harper Valley PTA" - Jeannie C Riley
-"Kyrie" - Mr. Mister
-"Want Ads" - Honey Cone
-"In The Year 2525" - Zager & Evans
-"They Long To Be (Close To You)" - Carpenters
-"Frankenstein" - Edgar Winter Group
-"One Bad Apple" - Osmonds
-"Keep On Truckin'" Eddie Kendricks
-"Thank God I'm A Country Boy" - John Denver

EXACTLY!!! See, radio can do it!

 

[hornet61]

While listening to Tom Kent in the 11PM hour (at least on one station where I'm at) he does a #1's show, and plays some real great ones surprisingly.
-"Love Is Blue" - Paul Mauriat
-"Morning After" - Maureen McGovern
-"Brand New Key" - Melanie
-"Harper Valley PTA" - Jeannie C Riley
-"Kyrie" - Mr. Mister
-"Want Ads" - Honey Cone
-"In The Year 2525" - Zager & Evans
-"They Long To Be (Close To You)" - Carpenters
-"Frankenstein" - Edgar Winter Group
-"One Bad Apple" - Osmonds
-"Keep On Truckin'" Eddie Kendricks
-"Thank God I'm A Country Boy" - John Denver

EXACTLY!!! See, radio can do it!

whoa, those are mostly all top ten songs..whats great about that..maybe the artist mix is different ??

 

[Biondi4Mayor]

whoa, those are mostly all top ten songs..whats great about that..maybe the artist mix is different ??

All are #1 in that category, and that's our point. It was great to hear these neglected #1's that don't get the plays on classic hits radio. That's what made it enjoyable for me.

The artists mix is irrelevant, as that's not the order they were played in, and some of those were from the same time slot, same show, but different nights.

 

[cd637299]

As #1's go, "Convoy" & the Stars on 45 medley you never hear anymore!

Back around 1986 when WIOD AM 610 Miami was still barely playing music, the afternoon host Bill McQuage mentioned "Convoy" and asked people to call in, whether or not they wanted to hear the tune. The result was "No." He played it anyway. He, and the music, disappeared from WIOD not long after.

True, "Keep On Truckin' " & "Want Ads" sure are rarities on radio now.

cd

 

[Biondi4Mayor]

As #1's go, "Convoy" & the Stars on 45 medley you never hear anymore!

Back around 1986 when WIOD AM 610 Miami was still barely playing music, the afternoon host Bill McQuage mentioned "Convoy" and asked people to call in, whether or not they wanted to hear the tune. The result was "No." He played it anyway. He, and the music, disappeared from WIOD not long after.

True, "Keep On Truckin' " & "Want Ads" sure are rarities on radio now.

cd

I think I have heard "Convoy" and "Stars On 45" maybe once each in the last 10 years - and it was on Casey Kasem re-runs.

I think both "Keep on Truckin'" & "Want Ads" would sound good in the mix today. Both are upbeat, 70's (so not too "old") and are musically similar to other songs played today by acts such as the Jackson 5. Not too R&B, not too Pop.

 

[Biondi4Mayor]

More surprises from Tom Kent's Number One hour yeilded-
-"Killing Me Softly With His Song" - Roberta Flack
-"He Don't Love You" - Tony Orlando and Dawn
-"Fly Robin Fly" - Silver Convention
-"When I Need You" - Leo Sayer
-"Oh Sheila" - Ready For The World
-"Another Brick In The Wall" - Pink Floyd (actually sounds good mixed in with classic hits and not just classic rock!)

And here's the REAL treat!!!!!!-------
Tom Kent played George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord", then explained the whole copyright story behind the song, and followed it by playing "He's So Fine" (because that too was #1)! GREAT!!!! It allowed him to talk to the listeners a few moments, provided some story beyond the usual hum-drum and weather DJ's are forced to read, and was a great excuse to tie the two songs together. If this kind of creativity (and really this doesn't take much tought at all) was implemented more......WOW!

 

[firepoint525]

-"Another Brick In The Wall" - Pink Floyd (actually sounds good mixed in with classic hits and not just classic rock!)

Was this the single mix, the one WITH the intro, or was it the version from the album, which goes straight into the vocal with a scream coming out of the previous song? The album version also continues on into the "meat/pudding" diatribe, while I believe that the single fades out before it ever gets to that.

As #1's go, "Convoy" & the Stars on 45 medley you never hear anymore!

"Convoy" was a novelty song about the CB-radio craze, which was itself quite short-lived. I seem to recall a smattering of other CB-radio-related songs on the airwaves back in 1976, but none of them were anywhere near as big of a hit, except maybe on the country charts, which is maybe where they belonged, anyway.

"Stars on 45" started the also-fairly-short-lived "medley craze" of the early '80s, but before it was over, there was a Beach Boys medley, a Beatles movie medley, and even an Elvis Presley medley, which by then could probably only be played over country radio stations. There was also all of the "hooked on" collections, which probably conspired to kill the medley craze.

 

[Biondi4Mayor]

Was this the single mix, the one WITH the intro, or was it the version from the album, which goes straight into the vocal with a scream coming out of the previous song? The album version also continues on into the "meat/pudding" diatribe, while I believe that the single fades out before it ever gets to that.

Album mix, no intro and the continuation at the end.

 

[Fastphilly]

I have noticed more recently classic hits stations have been playing promo only radio edits instead of LP versions or versions found on the commercial 45RPM when there was a shorter radio edit. Case in point is Rod Stewart "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and Sade "Smooth Operater". The versions played on the radio during their initial chart runs were strip down radio edits.

 

[willdav713]

I have noticed more recently classic hits stations have been playing promo only radio edits instead of LP versions or versions found on the commercial 45RPM when there was a shorter radio edit. Case in point is Rod Stewart "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and Sade "Smooth Operater". The versions played on the radio during their initial chart runs were strip down radio edits.

Yes, and 96 1/2 KAUM Houston played Rod Stewart's stripped down version of that.

Most AC stations that play 80's tunes also play the stripped down version of Sade's "Smooth Operator", however when KRBE was still in it's transition to Hottest Hit's the played the extended version of Sade's Smooth Operator, I should know because I got my Allergy Test in Mo. City that day, I will never forget that pain. That was played when we paid the bill on the way out.

 

[Silkie]

Kind of explains a small timer on a 70s & 80s station suddenly popping on that occasional 1962 and 1963 while we go around the roses. Of course, we might need clarification of what it really means, Sloopy.

 

[unitron]

I have noticed more recently classic hits stations have been playing promo only radio edits instead of LP versions or versions found on the commercial 45RPM when there was a shorter radio edit. Case in point is Rod Stewart "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and Sade "Smooth Operater". The versions played on the radio during their initial chart runs were strip down radio edits.

Yes, and 96 1/2 KAUM Houston played Rod Stewart's stripped down version of that.

Most AC stations that play 80's tunes also play the stripped down version of Sade's "Smooth Operator", however when KRBE was still in it's transition to Hottest Hit's the played the extended version of Sade's Smooth Operator, I should know because I got my Allergy Test in Mo. City that day, I will never forget that pain. That was played when we paid the bill on the way out.

The pain of the test or the pain of the bill?

 

[willdav713]

I have noticed more recently classic hits stations have been playing promo only radio edits instead of LP versions or versions found on the commercial 45RPM when there was a shorter radio edit. Case in point is Rod Stewart "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and Sade "Smooth Operater". The versions played on the radio during their initial chart runs were strip down radio edits.

Yes, and 96 1/2 KAUM Houston played Rod Stewart's stripped down version of that.

Most AC stations that play 80's tunes also play the stripped down version of Sade's "Smooth Operator", however when KRBE was still in it's transition to Hottest Hit's the played the extended version of Sade's Smooth Operator, I should know because I got my Allergy Test in Mo. City that day, I will never forget that pain. That was played when we paid the bill on the way out.

The pain of the test or the pain of the bill?

Pain of the test. Back then they stuck needles down your back after they labeled your back, A B C D and so on.