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Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Rock)

V

Varulven

Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Rock)

MCamp - in the Carter Alan thread you mentioned "Starman" only went to #65 nationally.
That may be true, but in Boston it was in the Top 30, played regularly on the stations here.

I was at the Bowie show at the Music Hall in 1973 - the tickets were $3.50 - and there were
Billboards in Somerville and other suburban areas "Ziggy Stardust Is David Bowie...David Bowie Is Ziggy Stardust".

Great media campaign. I think Ed Rosenblatt was at the Helm at the time and at a 1980 Musexpo Convention in Florida I asked him why RCA didn't continue doing great marketing like that.

It made a "regional" hit out of Starman. What other "Regional Hits" stayed in Boston or other areas of the country?

"No Good To Cry" - The Wildweeds (with Al Anderson). It's on a WRKO double lp set I believe
It's also on one of Barry Scott's CDs - actually, maybe not. Barry said he wanted that song on his
CD

Barry has Dave Finnerty's Road Apples "Let's Live Together" - a big Regional hit that got picked up by a major label

http://www.lost45.com/cd.html#tracks2

Finnerty went on to The Joneses(Atlantic) and wrote for Peter Frampton

WILDWEEDS
http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-WILDWEEDS-NO-GOOD-TO-CRY-PROMO_W0QQitemZ140022174327QQcmdZViewItem


Best of the Wildweeds
http://www.smarter.com/best-of-the-wildweeds-no-good-to-cry---pd--ch-5--pi-448818.html


Also, "Gimme Some Lovin" was a regional hit for The Jordan Brothers, not the national Spencer Davis Group hit.
A knock off actually got substantial Boston airplay

Any other "regional" Boston hits and what station broke them?
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Ro

Orpheus "Can't Find the Time to Tell You"

Also didn't the Stompers "Never Tell an Angel" hit #85 or something nationally, but was a hit here?
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Ro

Those are very good, Raccoon. Who was the crooner who actually did a cover of "Can't Find The Time?"

Tony Bennett? One of those types.

Bruce Arnold & the band reunited and were up at Mission Control in 1988 with Brad Delp of BOSTON doing the backing vocals with ORPHEUS.

Produced by the legend, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, who told me he's the actual drummer on the
original Orpheus album with "Can't Find The Time".
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Ro

I don't know the crooner you mention who covered Can't Find the Time, but Hootie and the Blowfish covered it in "Me Myself and Irene". Stations like WROR and WODS still play it (orig.) ...heard a version on 'ROR awhile back
that chopped down the instrumental bridge but later I think they got the full version

Bennett may have done it? Maybe.
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Ro

Varulven said:
Bruce Arnold & the band reunited and were up at Mission Control in 1988 with Brad Delp of BOSTON doing the backing vocals with ORPHEUS.
Click to expand...

Some members of Orpheus reunited this year as Orpheus Reborn. They played at Johnny D's in Somerville, The Scituate Harbor Festival, Maynard Town Commons, and elsewhere.
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Ro

I know, Eli, and sorry I missed them. I was on the guest list for the new Ten Years After show - sent a former WBCN jock in my place, Buffalo from the old Tommy Hadges show. Orpheus opened for that, but Orpheus reborn is not all the members. When I managed Mission Control in 1988 it was Bruce Arnold, Brad Delp and a couple of other guys. And Pretty Purdie. Bernard Purdie is amazing. As he said he played on the original album, that made the Mission Control tapes special (which have never come out to my knowledge, but Brad Delp singing on Can't Find The Time is pretty cool),


p.s. Raccoon - i heard the Crooner do "Can't Find The Time" way back on some WJIB like station - probably back in the 1970s - never could find the version though.

AllMusic.com has Rose Colored Glass, Willie Nelson, Orpheus, The Groovin Strings & Things and Johnny Dollar as cover versions. If Hootie didn't show up AMG didn't go deep into the album cd for the credits; same with the crooner. I did a lot of 1950s and 1960s reviews and always included ALL the liner note information I could because I realized how valuable it is to those of us referencing such data. If the crooner's album comes out on CD, it will eventually show up in an AMG search as all the data falls into its proper position if logged correctly.
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Rock)

I don't work in radio (primarily a writer) and usually just lurk these boards for information on local stations. I felt like this subject warranted a response however.

Boston was once considered a mecca for new music. In the late seventies through the eighties, it was comparable to London for exposing new bands. Many musicians moved here looking for their big break.

In those days, stations like WBCN filled their airwaves with local music and you could hear bands like The Stompers, Robin Lane & The Chart Busters, til tuesday, Jon Butcher Axis, The Del Fuegos, Modern Lovers, Face to Face (not the punk band) etc. While few of these bands had any real national prominence (outside of til tuesday), they were huge locally largely due to radio and V-66 (the broadcast local video channel that competed with MTV).

With many people turning to satellite, I'd love to see a return of more local music being broke on terrestrial radio instead of the same old crappy playlist you hear in any other major market. Outside of Dropkick Murphy's, I can't name one other local band you might hear on today's radio (outside of Godsmack or Staind who have gone national).
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Ro

It's absolutely true. When Charles used to play one song every morning on the Big Mattress, especially if it was a great song by a local band, or when a "Shades" or "L-88" got into rotation, there was a buzz and support for the local musicians.

Tragically, college radio doesn't have the audience - and doesn't have a concentration. For example, good local artist sends entire CD, not the "single" (usually, local bands can't afford to press up both). DJ 1 picks song 3,
DJ 5 picks song 5, name of the band doesn't register - sometimes isn't even said - and there are fewer and fewer local "hits" with more and more bands and a plethora of songs.

It ain't fair. But as Eli has pointed out so many times - it is all about playing the familiar songs for the audience that gets the biggest ratings points. Those who tune in to drive time getting out of work, those who could care less about discovering and hearing something new, exciting and different.
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Rock)

wasn't "Dream On" by Aerosmith a more or less regional hit in 1973? It hit #59 nationally then and hit the top 10 when it got rereleased as a single a few years later
 
Dream ON

Big Al, you are so correct.

"Dream On" was #1 on WBZ FM and WRKO, I believe. Wasn't Jim McMann the P.D. at BZ FM in actuality Ed McMann?
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Rock)

Other local hits at the time that weren't very big nationally:

Seatrain - 13 Questions (#49 nationally)
Andy Pratt - Avenging Annie (#78)
It's a Beautiful Day - White Bird (#89)
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Fresh Air (#49)
Fanny - I've Had It (#79)
Slade - Mama Weer All Crazee Now (#76)
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Ro

Varulven said:
It's absolutely true. When Charles used to play one song every morning on the Big Mattress, especially if it was a great song by a local band, or when a "Shades" or "L-88" got into rotation, there was a buzz and support for the local musicians.

Tragically, college radio doesn't have the audience - and doesn't have a concentration. For example, good local artist sends entire CD, not the "single" (usually, local bands can't afford to press up both). DJ 1 picks song 3,
DJ 5 picks song 5, name of the band doesn't register - sometimes isn't even said - and there are fewer and fewer local "hits" with more and more bands and a plethora of songs.

It ain't fair. But as Eli has pointed out so many times - it is all about playing the familiar songs for the audience that gets the biggest ratings points. Those who tune in to drive time getting out of work, those who could care less about discovering and hearing something new, exciting and different.
Click to expand...

Many of today's bands are forgettable and disposable. Too many sound the same. I went to a battle of the bands final last year and as every group played, I named the famous band they were "imitating" and all my friends were in complete agreement.

The really innovative stuff doesn't even seem to be getting on the radio in any way shape or form.
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Ro

I fondly recall regional bands Sass, and the Poustte-Dart Band. Cover band Fate was very big when I was a UMass Amherst student back in the day.
 
Re: Regional "hit" records

I fondly recall regional bands Sass, and the Pousette-Dart Band. Cover band Fate was very big when I was a UMass Amherst student back in the day. My all-time favorite: Letters to Cleo
 
Re: Regional "hit" records

WLYNgm said:
I fondly recall regional bands Sass, and the Pousette-Dart Band. Cover band Fate was very big when I was a UMass Amherst student back in the day. My all-time favorite: Letters to Cleo
Click to expand...

Sass' "Radio" was kind of a cool single... it was on Roulette Records... wasn't that Morris Levy's label? Namedrop time.. I was on a jury with Vernon from Sass in the late 90s...
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Ro

Sass were on Demo That Got The Deal with Harvey Wharfield on 93.7. They say they woke up one morning and found their WBCN tape on Roulette Records without their knowledge. The manager struck the deal - never told them - and Roulette pressed 'em up. Their CD is "Sass To West" and probably has the single, "Radio".
 
Re: Regional "hit" records (new thread from MCamp's observations on Classic Rock)

"Crazy" by John Hall (of Orleans) Band was another local hit that I don't think broke nationally.
 
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