Hit Songs That Should Never Be Played On Radio Today

[JeffM]

Non-network (independent) radio stations often aired a great many "transcribed" (recorded) programs of other types in addition to music. Companies like Frederick A. Ziv, Commodore Productions, World Broadcasting, and C.P. MacGregor offered dramatic, comedy, and interview programs as well. These companies and others also produced specially recorded programs by some big-name bands and singers; material not available for sale to the public. Many stations well into the 1960's and 70's still owned and used the king-size turntables required to play the 16-inch transcriptions; the discs made oversize on purpose so they could not be played on consumer phonographs.

(Hey, we're still off topic here, but it's a lot friendlier...)

 

[davideduardo]

(Hey, we're still off topic here, but it's a lot friendlier...)

If you want even more off topic:

In 1972 when I arrived at WERC AM&FM in Birmingham we had an old RCA transcription turntable in what had been the operator's position facing the main AM studio. Since the station had long been a combo operation without board ops, that side of the glass was usually dark.

Now those turntables, if you remember, had huge washing-machine size motors in them.

Our night guy was also the WBRC-TV kiddie show host, and he was definitely on the conservative side to the point of innocence.

So one evening a bunch of the FM guys, who did good time rock n roll in the studio at the other side of the building (which had a huge lobby with a piano in it) got a girl from the topless bar down the street to come in. They had her stand on the huge turntable, and when the night guy went into a live read, they flicked on the turntable and the lights in the room. When the DJ looked up to see why the lights went on, he was confronted by a topless dancer turning around at 16 rpm on the turntable. He became paralyzed and unable to talk for about a minute...

 

[Avid Listener]

Here is a song that absolutely should be played on the radio, but won't be. The suits will have their usual excuses for why it shouldn't be, none of which will hold any water. But, they'll claim that their years of doing the same things over and over again trumps simple, common sense.

 

[davideduardo]

Here is a song that absolutely should be played on the radio, but won't be. The suits will have their usual excuses for why it shouldn't be, none of which will hold any water. But, they'll claim that their years of doing the same things over and over again trumps simple, common sense.

Wonderful concert song. Great guitar work, but a so-so vocal.

If I heard it on the radio, the fact it was not the song I one time liked would drive me away.

If I heard the original version, I might or might not listen through it, but I would not longer enjoy it.

I believe that the average listener who likes rock-oriented pop music would agree.

 

[TheFonz]

Here is a song that absolutely should be played on the radio, but won't be. The suits will have their usual excuses for why it shouldn't be, none of which will hold any water. But, they'll claim that their years of doing the same things over and over again trumps simple, common sense.

It's always interesting to hear cover versions of hit songs. But this song doesn't fit a lounge singer. I much prefer the original.

 

[TheBigA]

I've had this conversation with a number of American Idol contestants. I asked about the process of singing covers during the competition. They told me they felt it didn't prepare them for being a recording artist, where the goal is creating original content, rather than simply covering existing material. Radio is faced with that problem as well. In a world where anyone who wants to sing can release a record, how does a radio station decide what to play? How do you choose between an original artist and a karaoke singer?

 

[SuperRadioFan]

It's always interesting to hear cover versions of hit songs. But this song doesn't fit a lounge singer. I much prefer the original.

What do you think of Imelda's cover of "Tainted Love"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVqqc3jgnQ8

 

[Avid Listener]

It's always interesting to hear cover versions of hit songs. But this song doesn't fit a lounge singer. I much prefer the original.

Imelda May is not a "lounge singer". She's one of the top Rockabilly singers in Europe. And, the guitarist was Jeff Beck! Do you realize what a big deal it is to have one of the legends of blues/rock guitar on the face of the planet, the man who taught Eric Clapton, and one of the top vocalists in the UK together for a live concert? That's not a "cover". That's an incredible performance of a classic song by two of the greatest talents around!

It might not be your personal cup of tea, but to anyone who knows anything about rock music, it's significant and noteworthy.

What do you think of Imelda's cover of "Tainted Love"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVqqc3jgnQ8

Imelda May is one of the best vocalists to come along in a long, long time. It's too bad that American radio stations are so provincial that they cannot include European artists in their tiny little playlists.

Unless, of course, it's in Spanish.

Something just dawned on me. Imelda May is a Celt. Maybe they're just racist towards Celts.

 

[davideduardo]

It might not be your personal cup of tea, but to anyone who knows anything about rock music, it's significant and noteworthy.

As I said, it's a great concert performance. Not so great for the radio, where the folks who will appreciate it are scant few.

Imelda May is one of the best vocalists to come along in a long, long time. It's too bad that American radio stations are so provincial that they cannot include European artists in their tiny little playlists.

I don't recall that there was ever an objection to good European material that works with American tastes. Beatles to Tom Jones, Bee Gees to Rod Stewart, Bay City Rollers to Sheena Easton, Police to Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys to Rick Astley, Phil Collins to George Michael... and on and on. All of those, by the way, had #1 hits in the US. And if we get into dance, we go from Ian Van Dahl to all the European mixers who are making megabucks in the US today.

In any case, it is the labels who are responsible for introducing European music to the US.

Unless, of course, it's in Spanish.

90% of US Spanish language stations play no songs by any Spanish artists. And those that do play may include perhaps one cut every couple of hours.

Something just dawned on me. Imelda May is a Celt. Maybe they're just racist towards Celts.

If that were true, I would not have been employed in the business in the US. Of course, Celts are originally from central Europe and arrived in Ireland via Galicia in present-day Spain. So those of us Celts who do those National Geographic DNA tests may find that we are actually Hispanic.

 

[JeffM]

Not to overlook Abba, U2, Roxette, Gotye, and instrumentalists like Bent Fabric, Bert Kaempfert, Jorgen Ingmann, and Paul Mauriat...

 

[Avid Listener]

Interesting. When anyone mentions how difficult it is for current European artists to get any airplay on American radio now, in the year 2014, the responses are a list of European artists who used to get airplay several decades ago.

 

[Richard Stefan]

Imelda cover is OK......nice bland very compressed version.....lame-o guitar work, too fast that takes out a lot of the soul punch..........i wouldn't pay for it.

 

[TheBigA]

Interesting. When anyone mentions how difficult it is for current European artists to get any airplay on American radio now, in the year 2014, the responses are a list of European artists who used to get airplay several decades ago.

By the same token, how many European artists have really devoted time and attention to getting American airplay? Airplay doesn't just "happen." Radio stations have no shortage of music to play, requiring them to scan the globe for new music. Often it takes work to get airplay. Visits to the station, promotional tours, and building of a fan base, just like American acts. Not many Europeans are willing to make the investment. One who has is Avichii, and it's paid off.

 

[TheFonz]

Imelda May is not a "lounge singer". She's one of the top Rockabilly singers in Europe. And, the guitarist was Jeff Beck! Do you realize what a big deal it is to have one of the legends of blues/rock guitar on the face of the planet, the man who taught Eric Clapton, and one of the top vocalists in the UK together for a live concert? That's not a "cover". That's an incredible performance of a classic song by two of the greatest talents around!

It might not be your personal cup of tea, but to anyone who knows anything about rock music, it's significant and noteworthy.



Imelda May is one of the best vocalists to come along in a long, long time. It's too bad that American radio stations are so provincial that they cannot include European artists in their tiny little playlists.

Unless, of course, it's in Spanish.

Something just dawned on me. Imelda May is a Celt. Maybe they're just racist towards Celts.

I know who Imelda May is, I know that she's a rockabilly singer, and I'm not questioning her talent. "Walking" is not a rockabilly song. She sings it like a lounge singer would. She should stick to rockabilly.

 

[Avid Listener]

I know who Imelda May is, I know that she's a rockabilly singer, and I'm not questioning her talent. "Walking" is not a rockabilly song. She sings it like a lounge singer would. She should stick to rockabilly.

Actually, she sounds like she has a bad case of Mariah Carey or Christine Aguilera tonsil gymnastics. This is what a lounge singer sounds like.

 

[JeffM]

Interesting. When anyone mentions how difficult it is for current European artists to get any airplay on American radio now, in the year 2014, the responses are a list of European artists who used to get airplay several decades ago.

Gotye, whom I mentioned, is a recent/current artist. British artists, from the 60's to the present, have an edge here as we all speak the same language (though us Yanks do have a funny accent.) I hear great sounding music on foreign-language stations; if someone came up with suitable English lyrics, there's little doubt some of the tunes could be hits here. (You ain't lived till you've heard rap in Polish!) Many songs originally written in French, Italian, and Spanish have had great success with suitable English lyrics. Maybe the recording and music publishing companies need to listen more closely.

This thread is so far off topic now it's hopeless, and you and Stefan seem determined as usual to turn it into a p!$$ing contest, so good luck to both of you.

 

[TheBigA]

Many songs originally written in French, Italian, and Spanish have had great success with suitable English lyrics. Maybe the recording and music publishing companies need to listen more closely.

I think that brings up a good point. Quite often it takes an American company to get behind a European act or song in order to have US success. With music company consolidation, plus all the US talent available, outside artists can fall through the cracks. So a smart label or publisher might look in the catalog for some hidden gem. One example is "Gloria," an English hit by Van Morrison's band Them, but picked up by a US band the Shadows of Knight. It's worth pointing out that when The Beatles came to the USA 50 years ago, it wasn't their first attempt. But they were having trouble getting EMI's American label Capitol interested in their music. It wasn't until December 1963 that things started to come together on the business front, and three months later, they appeared on Sullivan. That was 50 years ago, and things today aren't a whole lot different.

 

[davideduardo]

Many songs originally written in French, Italian, and Spanish have had great success with suitable English lyrics.

Laura Branagan's Gloria was composed by an Italian and Sintatra's My Way by a French composer.

There are many, many more examples.

 

[stevensonair]

I always thought Robbie Williams could have made it in North America, but didn't achieve much airplay.

 

[davideduardo]

Interesting. When anyone mentions how difficult it is for current European artists to get any airplay on American radio now, in the year 2014, the responses are a list of European artists who used to get airplay several decades ago.

One of the issues is that most European pop has moved in a different direction. A major exception is dance, where a majority of the "good stuff" is European to this day.

Of course, I could also argue that there were plenty of British artists over the decades who got very little attention in the US despite being mega-sellers in Europe, Asia and Latin America. An example is Robbie Williams, who has sole 80 million "records" worldwide, is the biggest selling British act in England and the biggest selling non-Spanish language artist in Latin America.

Much of what you want to chalk up to myopia or discrimination is some kind of difference in taste.

The Beatles did not sell nearly as many records in Latin America as Creedence. Same thing... different tastes.

Oh, you never did explain why you thought that Spanish language radio stations were playing bunches of songs from Spain...