Song was mono - now "stereo" - which for radio?

[michael hagerty]

Could've been...it's been 50 years, but it seemed more current than that.
They played a lot of odd oldies, long on mid-charting songs and even some LP cuts. "Glory Road" - Neil Diamond was one I recall, never a single as far as I know. Not sure how they determined what oldies to play, maybe these were local L.A. hits?
I do recall that there were 2 different "announcers" that gave the song titles. Similar voices, but different delivery. I'm told one of them was the real Don Steele, though at the time I had no idea who he was.
All in all it was an interesting format, and tight too, unlike so many other automated formats of the day.

Those were the gold/current mixes, though local stations could “tailor” that by putting a current reel on the automation system where a gold reel was supposed to go or vice-versa.

As for the music choices, the number one concern was to establish and grow KHJ-FMs numbers, and not cannibalize KHJ-AM. So, less of a “big hit” focus on the gold. Client stations in other markets pretty much just had to go along for the ride.

Several RKO/Drake jocks voiced the “Hitparade” and “Solid Gold” reels, including The Real Don Steele, Humble Harve, Charlie Van Dyke and Dave Jeffreys from KYNO in Fresno (where the voice-tracking was done)—-who became PD at KHJ-FM in June of 1970.

 

[Kelly A]

I'd have to think which version to play is almost entirely irrelevant. The amount of material recorded/mastered in mono after 1975 has to be tiny, and very little music before 1975 airs on the radio today.

Except some remaining AM stations still playing music way back then insisted on a mono version.

 

[gr8oldies]

Could've been...it's been 50 years, but it seemed more current than that.
They played a lot of odd oldies, long on mid-charting songs and even some LP cuts. "Glory Road" - Neil Diamond was one I recall, never a single as far as I know. Not sure how they determined what oldies to play, maybe these were local L.A. hits?
I do recall that there were 2 different "announcers" that gave the song titles. Similar voices, but different delivery. I'm told one of them was the real Don Steele, though at the time I had no idea who he was.
All in all it was an interesting format, and tight too, unlike so many other automated formats of the day.

I had thought "Solid Gold" came in 2 versions, 60% gold or 60% current. It played in my area on WLBC-FM, Muncie, IN

 

[kevtronics]

I'd have to think which version to play is almost entirely irrelevant. The amount of material recorded/mastered in mono after 1975 has to be tiny, and very little music before 1975 airs on the radio today.

The newest mono recording I've heard on the radio is Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" from 1999. The radio edit that got played on CHR and Hot AC stations is mono; but alternative rock stations generally played the longer album version, which is in stereo.

 

[CTListener]

Exactly. And---demographics.

If you heard "House of the Rising Sun" on AM radio in the 45 edit at age 4, you're 61 now. More likely you were 14. You're 71 now. No radio station is aiming for that listener.

Single edits are, for the most part, now irrelevant for a radio station. Any listener in the desirable demo most likely knows the song from the album version, which is what the artist had in mind to begin with.

Although there are still stations playing the radio edit of Don McLean's "American Pie" (three verses and a fade), and that song is only six years younger than "House of the Rising Sun."

 

[kevtronics]

Although there are still stations playing the radio edit of Don McLean's "American Pie" (three verses and a fade), and that song is only six years younger than "House of the Rising Sun."

The promo 45 of "American Pie" was actually a completely different and more upbeat-sounding recording, that was never commercially released:

I think what you're referring to is that the commercial 45 of "American Pie" was the whole song split onto two sides (Part 1 and Part 2), and some stations only play Part 1, which runs about 4½ minutes and then fades out.

 

[michael hagerty]

I had thought "Solid Gold" came in 2 versions, 60% gold or 60% current. It played in my area on WLBC-FM, Muncie, IN

After 1971, when KHJ-FM dumped HitParade for "Solid Gold", yes. In fact, they ran the current-heavy mix in L.A.

 

[michael hagerty]

Although there are still stations playing the radio edit of Don McLean's "American Pie" (three verses and a fade), and that song is only six years younger than "House of the Rising Sun."

One, "American Pie" is easily the better-known record of the pair, and two, if a station is still playing as far back as the 70s, McLean qualifies where the Animals don't.

And I'm willing to bet there aren't that many stations playing "American Pie", edited or not.

 

[kevtronics]

And I'm willing to bet there aren't that many stations playing "American Pie", edited or not.

I hear it played on Classic Hits stations during the July 4th holiday, probably because they search their music library for anything with "America" or "American" in the title and throw it in the playlist.

 

[kfbkfb]

Perhaps create a syndicated (hour or 2 per week) radio program called something like "the de-mixed re-mixed stereoized program", play a lot of these "stereoized" songs and have an associated website for voting on how listeners like the new version (maybe with a section for short comments too).


Kirk Bayne

 

[kevtronics]

Perhaps create a syndicated (hour or 2 per week) radio program called something like "the de-mixed re-mixed stereoized program", play a lot of these "stereoized" songs and have an associated website for voting on how listeners like the new version (maybe with a section for short comments too).

Dick Bartley did that 30 years ago with "New Gold on CD", a Westwood One syndicated daily segment featuring Oldies music which was then being newly re-released on CD, often in stereo for the first time.

It was on one of his show CDs where I found a rare full stereo version of CCR's "Bad Moon Rising":

 

[kfbkfb]

It would be a way to get some listener feedback about how the "stereoized" versions sounded as compared to actual stereo mixes, perhaps some mixing tips could be gleaned from the listener comments on the associated website.


Kirk Bayne

 

[Harvey_Dogg]

Dick Bartley did that 30 years ago with "New Gold on CD", a Westwood One syndicated daily segment featuring Oldies music which was then being newly re-released on CD, often in stereo for the first time.

It was on one of his show CDs where I found a rare full stereo version of CCR's "Bad Moon Rising":

This is funny! I've played this CCR song on the radio for decades. I did not realize until the post that it was mono. So I listened to my album version through headphones and sure enough it is mono.

 

[kevtronics]

This is funny! I've played this CCR song on the radio for decades. I did not realize until the post that it was mono. So I listened to my album version through headphones and sure enough it is mono.

The version that's on "Chronicle" is stereo, but it's very very narrow stereo, just like Modern English's "I Melt With You". You really can only hear any separation during the guitar solo.

The full stereo version of "Bad Moon Rising" is a stereo fold-down of the quadraphonic version.

 

[TheBigA]

The thing about Bad Moon Rising is it was recorded at Wally Heider's studio in San Francisco, which was an early multi-track studio in SF. Everyone wanted to work there because it had the best technology in town at the time. So original multi tracks exist, on reel, and remix to stereo is pretty easy. No need to recreate tracks. All of those early CCR records were well recorded. No garage band sound,