Oldies Are Alive On Satellite

[TheFonz]

Nice article about Oldies on XM satellite radio at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0610250333oct26,1,6214299.story

 

[ItalianAce]

XM does a great job with their decade channels. 50's on 5, and 60's on 6 adds a true authentic sound along with rare music. Matt he Cat's "Harlem" show on 50s/5 is a great example of that.

Sirius on the other hand...sadly has the FM mood behind it with the same tiring 200/300 oldies play list. A human-being can hear "Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbinson only so much before going nuts.

Great article you posted.

Anthony--

 

[Mike Sheridan]

I guess we old coggers who like oldies (maybe not a steady diet but once in awhile like comfort food) should be greatful but XM misses the mark for me. I'd like a late 50's early 60's channel along the lines of what Drake used to do with the "Classic Gold" format that was heard in the early 70's KRTH, WFYR, and WAXY the RKO stations. It was a much better mix.

As for Smooth Jazz I used to really like Watercolors but lately they don't seem as good as they used to be. Certainly not as good as KKSF, Love 94, and WFAE.

In Middle of the Road programming Frank's place isn't as good as WSAI 1530 before the switch to oldies, or AM 740 in Toronto.

I get to hear some of the XM channels on DirecTV. The result is I think they miss the mark. Not something I would pay for when I have heard better for free. HD radio has a chance to do better if programmers know how.

Just my opinion as a listener.

 

[wmgcbs]

I guess we old coggers who like oldies (maybe not a steady diet but once in awhile like comfort food) should be greatful but XM misses the mark for me. I'd like a late 50's early 60's channel along the lines of what Drake used to do with the "Classic Gold" format that was heard in the early 70's KRTH, WFYR, and WAXY the RKO stations. It was a much better mix.

Exactly. After two of my favorite oldies stations flipped to other formats, I had assumed that another station would flip TO oldies, but that never happened. I just recently got SIRIUS, and I love their SIRIUS Gold channel... it's about a 50/50 mix of late 50's and early 60's. After sampling XM on DirecTV, I agreed that their playlists were actually TOO broad, especially with their 50's on 5 channel, and even though I love LATE 50's music, when I heard early 50's standards music mixed in, I knew it wasn't for me.

Sure, the sound quality of SIRIUS can't be compared with that of regular FM, but I enjoy it a lot more.

 

[LeChat]

I'm holding my breath on the whole satellite oldies trend; really waiting for someone to pull the plug there as they have on terrestrial radio. I get my fix online and on satellite, which is exactly where terrestrial radio wants me, apparently. But I think XM does a great job.

 

[TheFonz]

XM misses the mark for me. I'd like a late 50's early 60's channel along the lines of what Drake used to do with the "Classic Gold" format that was heard in the early 70's KRTH, WFYR, and WAXY the RKO stations. It was a much better mix.

I'm not sure exactly what kind of mix you're looking for. But to me, "early" '60s should not include the British Invasion (that started in 1964). I don't think that most fans of Frankie Laine or most fans of the Beatles want those artists played back-to-back. XM does a good job of that separation.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Correction to my post...I listened to Watercolors last night and they were doing a great job. Lots of great music to be found.

As for the oldies the styles should not be divided by decade. Late 50's rock and roll and early '60's pre British invasion fit well together. I have heard the 50's channel mix early 50's pop with late 50's rock and roll.

Classic Gold did early 50's do wap with 50's and early 60's pre British invasion and it sounded much better.

But if you like it that's great. I'm glad you found a place to hear so great oldies.

Let me ask you this: Do you enjoy hearing an oldie that you may not have heard before or would you rather just hear songs you are familiar with? I like to hear something I haven't heard before once in awhile kind of like finding a rare gem.

 

[LeChat]

Both, I mean I love some of the old stuff so much that I can never hear it too often, but on the other hand there are those gems that I either never heard or long forgot and there they are. For example, did you know that Gene Pitney recorded a number of his songs in Italian?

 

[TheFonz]

As for the oldies the styles should not be divided by decade. Late 50's rock and roll and early '60's pre British invasion fit well together. I have heard the 50's channel mix early 50's pop with late 50's rock and roll.
But if you like it that's great. I'm glad you found a place to hear so great oldies.

Let me ask you this: Do you enjoy hearing an oldie that you may not have heard before or would you rather just hear songs you are familiar with? I like to hear something I haven't heard before once in awhile kind of like finding a rare gem.

Well Mike, the truth is that I've heard 99.9% of the songs that are played on XM's '50s on 5. (Occasonally late at night I'll hear a rare doo-wop song that I don't recognize). The reason for this is simply that XM plays music from the Top 40 charts. And I'm familiar with the Top 40 charts from the '50s and early '60s. Traditional terrestrial radio "oldies" formats have been created by PDs, consultants, and "testers". So if you're a younger Oldies listener you've only been hearing what someone else has decided you shoud hear. And that would represent only about 5% of the songs that were actually played on Top 40 radio. But as you said, if you like it, that's great. I'm glad you're happy with it.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

I'm not surprised that Gene Pitney recorded in Italian but I have never heard any of the recordings, that might be an interesting feature to do once in awhile.

I have an aircheck of Joey Reynolds from 1964 saying he is going to sing along with Leslie Gore's recording of "You Don't Own Me" he really milks the bit by saying how he worked hard to learn all the words and then the record comes on and she's doing it in French! It was a funny bit. So I guess it was common for the hits to be done in other languages.

We have an FM pirate station here that I can get while driving around town. They are playing some fantastic oldies! Most of them I know, some I haven't heard in a very long time even though they were big hits. It really puts XM to shame.

Isn't it funny that it's not the kids doing pirate radio but the coggers?

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Well Mike, the truth is that I've heard 99.9% of the songs that are played on XM's '50s on 5. (Occasonally late at night I'll hear a rare doo-wop song that I don't recognize). The reason for this is simply that XM plays music from the Top 40 charts. And I'm familiar with the Top 40 charts from the '50s and early '60s. Traditional terrestrial radio "oldies" formats have been created by PDs, consultants, and "testers". So if you're a younger Oldies listener you've only been hearing what someone else has decided you shoud hear. And that would represent only about 5% of the songs that were actually played on Top 40 radio. But as you said, if you like it, that's great. I'm glad you're happy with it.
[/quote]

Fonz, I agree 100%...you said it well.

Here's one for you... Bobby Vee doing "Someday" nice rocker great energy. I don't think it ever charted, at least not top 40. My kids love it! I have it on a discount LP titled "Bobby Vee Meets The Crickets". I mentioned it on another message board once and my old friend Mike "Supergold" Harvey said it was one of his favorites so I guess it received some airplay. There are so many forgotten oldies and some were very big hits. Consultants will tell you the 5% they play are the ones that tested well but then there must be tons of songs that never got into the test in the first place...right?

MikeM

 

[LeChat]

I'm not surprised that Gene Pitney recorded in Italian but I have never heard any of the recordings, that might be an interesting feature to do once in awhile.

I have an aircheck of Joey Reynolds from 1964 saying he is going to sing along with Leslie Gore's recording of "You Don't Own Me" he really milks the bit by saying how he worked hard to learn all the words and then the record comes on and she's doing it in French! It was a funny bit. So I guess it was common for the hits to be done in other languages.

We have an FM pirate station here that I can get while driving around town. They are playing some fantastic oldies! Most of them I know, some I haven't heard in a very long time even though they were big hits. It really puts XM to shame.

Isn't it funny that it's not the kids doing pirate radio but the coggers?

Makes sense as terrestrial radio has written off the codger market, so people have to go someplace to hear what they want--and that can be satellite or the Internet or even pirate.(Even as I write this I steel myself to the ubiquitous corporate radio types who will jump in and insist that I am nothing more than a malcontent--when all I want is a steady diet of the music I like best).

 

[DougD]

That's one reason radio sounds so much like dreck these days.

PDs using ONLY ONE measurement or tool to program.

Sounds so staged, so forced, so "plastic" and so manufactured.

Like ANDY KIM and THE SPINNERS represent "oldies." Yeah, right.


Oh, how Mike Harvey, in between his many commercials and infomercials on a retirment home, will tell us those are "oldies" and how '72 was "such a red hot year for rock and roll."

The guy has lost it. He does'nt know nor play real oldies.

I did call and request a song. CANDY GIRL by the FOUR SEASONS. He sounded real enthusiastic and I thought he'd play it.

Listened for a good part of the rest of the night. Only heard early 70s STONES, late 60s retreads, Spinners, but nothing really sounding like an "oldie."

He also did a "Beach Boys" spotlight. He played ONLY ONE SONG by them in one hour while rolling through 4-5 1972 songs.

As for the oldies the styles should not be divided by decade. Late 50's rock and roll and early '60's pre British invasion fit well together. I have heard the 50's channel mix early 50's pop with late 50's rock and roll.
But if you like it that's great. I'm glad you found a place to hear so great oldies.

Let me ask you this: Do you enjoy hearing an oldie that you may not have heard before or would you rather just hear songs you are familiar with? I like to hear something I haven't heard before once in awhile kind of like finding a rare gem.

Well Mike, the truth is that I've heard 99.9% of the songs that are played on XM's '50s on 5. (Occasonally late at night I'll hear a rare doo-wop song that I don't recognize). The reason for this is simply that XM plays music from the Top 40 charts. And I'm familiar with the Top 40 charts from the '50s and early '60s. Traditional terrestrial radio "oldies" formats have been created by PDs, consultants, and "testers". So if you're a younger Oldies listener you've only been hearing what someone else has decided you shoud hear. And that would represent only about 5% of the songs that were actually played on Top 40 radio. But as you said, if you like it, that's great. I'm glad you're happy with it.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

Uhhhhhhhhhh Kenny in Concord, you need to stop the Spam!! How many posts are you going to make about XM?? To clue you in, each time you mention a price (which is every post of yours) THAT may be considered spam. Word Up pal

 

[tjthedj]

Kenny in Concord,
YOU'RE A LEMMING! Let some ******* pick your music.

My Creative Zen has 10,000 songs that I CHOOSE. It's up to me.

HA!