WCBS-FM A-Z COUNTDOWN IS BACK

[lalumia]

that's correct, 'kite' was never released as a single;
however, it WAS a huge NY Top 40 radio hit, as us old timers remember, Music Radio 77WABC played almost every track off of the "Sgt.Pepper" album when it was released, in rotation for weeks;
WAB-eatle C programmed multiple tracks from the mighty Beatles in their prime, and most of the CBS FM audience who were around then will remember "Kite" as a NY hit, single or not...

 

[TheBigA]

Music Radio 77WABC played almost every track off of the "Sgt.Pepper" album when it was released, in rotation for weeks;

I don't know about that. In his book Rockin' America, WABC PD Rick Sklar says: "WABC kept to its policy of playing only the hits." They may have played it once, but not in regular rotation.

 

[lalumia]

I was 13 years old in 1965: I listened to WABC religiously through the 70s; I also interviewed Cousin Brucie and Rick Sklar in 1970 for a newsprint publication called "ROCK";
at the time I did the interview 77WABC was programming tracks from the album Woodstock, in regular nigh time rotation, not just once,and none of them were singles;
Sklar made some general statements in his book, but obviously, some of them were over dramatized;
I was a listener and a participant at the time,so you are correct when you say "I don't know about that"....or perhaps you interpreted 'hits' to mean commercially available 45 rpm singles

 

[TheBigA]

I was a listener and a participant at the time,so you are correct when you say "I don't know about that"....or perhaps you interpreted 'hits' to mean commercially available 45 rpm singles

Perhaps your recollection is flawed, or don't understand the term "regular rotation." Certainly night time is different from regular rotation. Are you telling me that Harry Harrison or Ron Lundy played "Within You and Without You" or "A Day in the Life?" I don't think so. I'd like to see proof that "Benefit of Mr. Kite" was a huge Top 40 hit.

 

[lalumia]

by the way, here is a link to one of the weekly charts when WABC was programming multiple tracks from "Sgt.Pepper's" because the entire album was a 'hit', and the listeners, the Beatle maniacs,let WABC know that this is what they wanted to hear;
http://www.musicradio77.com/Surveys/1967/surveymay3167.html
scroll down, you'll see 'album cuts', and believe me,they weren't listed on the survey because they were played once; they were played every day, morning noon and night..

 

[TheBigA]

believe me,they weren't listed on the survey because they were played once; they were played every day, morning noon and night..

If they had, then they would have made it into the chart. "Mr. Kite" isn't listed, and I see it was banned by the BBC.

I know that "Lucy" got some limited airplay, because it inspired "Judy In Disguise."

 

[lalumia]

the chart was for singles only,based on sales "from your local record shops';they couldn't possibly place an album cut into the 'hits' chart;
you really should do the research before you just 'go off', times were different then,Harry Harrison used to play "Psychotic Reaction" by The Count 5 and "They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha Ha" in the morning, before Top 40 radio became the bland slice of yuck that it morphed into by the early 70s;
too bad for you that you missed it while it was happening, 62 till 68, a great time to own a transistor radio

 

[TheBigA]

you really should do the research before you just 'go off',

I've done my research. I quoted Sklar's book. I quoted Billboard airplay charts. You're saying that album cuts were played in morning drive, and I know that's not true.

I'm still waiting for proof that "Mr. Kite" was a "huge Top 40 hit."

The chart you linked was the week Sgt. Pepper was released. They played those five songs just to highlight the release. Not in regular rotation. The next week, only two of those songs remained, most likely in very limited play, and then the next week they were done.

Harry Harrison used to play "Psychotic Reaction" by The Count 5 and "They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha Ha" in the monring,

Those were both officially released singles. I own both of them. Neither of them were big hits, and I doubt they were played on this wknds's countdown.

By the way, Harry Harrison was not at WABC when those two singles were out.

 

[lalumia]

neither of them were big hits?...ha ha..here's the chart from the week "Coming To Take Me Away" was #3 with a bullet on 77WABC
http://www.musicradio77.com/Surveys/1966/surveyjul1966.html
it was banned from airplay during the week that it hit #1 in sales, because of complaints from mental health facilities, but if being #1 in NY isn't a big hit, then I don't know what is

 

[lalumia]

here's the link for "Psychotic Reaction" hitting #7 on WABC's Super Hit Survey
http://www.musicradio77.com/Surveys/1966/surveyoct1866.html
and as it turns out, this tune is on CBS FM's "A to ZZZZ" countdown;
like I said, RESEARCH, verry important...lol

 

[lalumia]

By the way, Harry Harrison was not at WABC when those two singles were out.

well,then he was playing them on WMCA...lol...

 

[TheBigA]

like I said, RESEARCH, verry important...lol

Yep...maybe you should do your research on Mr. Kite, and when Harry Harrison was hired by WABC.

lol

 

[BabyDJ]

I'm still waiting for proof that "Mr. Kite" was a "huge Top 40 hit."

It wasn't a hit and if WABC spun it it was probably once or twice tops. 45 years later it is NOT popular enough for an A-Z countdown on a hits based station with a hits based library, especially when you consider the HITS they've missed.

 

[adma]

May I say that while Beatles "tracks" endured as Top 40 recurrents well into the 70s, "Mr Kite" didn't tend to be one of them--if anything was played from Sgt Pepper, it was either of the title-song segues (yes, including "A Day In The Life"), "Lucy In The Sky" (even before Elton), and maybe a couple of others like "When I'm 64", "Lovely Rita", etc...

 

[Silkie]

I'm still waiting for proof that "Mr. Kite" was a "huge Top 40 hit."

It wasn't a hit and if WABC spun it it was probably once or twice tops. 45 years later it is NOT popular enough for an A-Z countdown on a hits based station with a hits based library, especially when you consider the HITS they've missed.

Again, research matters. It went to #1 in the US and the UK.

 

[TheBigA]

Again, research matters. It went to #1 in the US and the UK.

In what chart?

 

[Silkie]

Billboard 200

Chart positions
Year Chart Position
1996 The Billboard 200 1

 

[TheBigA]

The Billboard 200 is the album chart. Sgt Pepper was #1 in the Billboard 200. Not Mr. Kite.

 

[Silkie]

Absolute Elsewhere: The Spirit of John Lennon | Beatles ...
... Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite (Takes 1 & 2), Being For the Benefit of Mr . ... Highest US chart position is #1, and highest UK chart position is #1. ...

history.absoluteelsewhere.net/March/march18.html - Similar

 

[TheBigA]

Look closely:

1996--Release of Beatles double CD The Beatles Anthology 2 in the US (Capitol / Apple / EMI) and the UK (Parlophone / Apple).

That is the chart position for the Beatles Anthology 2, which contains the song Benefit of Mr. Kite. That is not the chart position for the song. The song didn't receive airplay on WABC, and was banned by the BBC.