WHAT? NO "DETROIT ROCK CITY" AT 9 p.m. SATURDAY ON WDVE?

[Pratte4Life]

Last Saturday I was driving around Pittsburgh at 9 p.m. on Saturday night.

Now, anyone who is a rock and roll fan knows that at 9 p.m. on Saturday night since about the beginning of time, WDVE has played Kiss' "Detroit Rock City" at 9 p.m. on Saturday night. It's a staple, a tradition, an signal to everyone in Pittsburgh that it's now time to head on out to the bar and party!

But evidently, not anymore! I forget what was being played then, but it got me to thinking.

Maybe you like Kiss and maybe you don't. However, if we decided right now to argue "What is the greatest American rock band?" Kiss would certainly come up in the conversation if it was to have any credibility whatsoever.

But I don't even think WDVE even plays Kiss anymore! How can you have a classic rock station and not play Kiss?

WDVE is becoming less and less a rock station and more and more the station one has on their way to church.

 

[pman44]

Because KISS is terrible band of posers who make crappy music. I wouldn't call their music Rock. I'd call it crap. They are the photo negative of the Bay City Rollers.
DVE has played the occaisional KISS song, but they've never been in heavy rotation.

The only way KISS figures into the "What is the greatest American Rock band" discussion is to say that any American rock band is better than KISS.

Just my two cents.

 

[Pratte4Life]

I'm not a member of the Kiss Army and view the band as somewhat pretencious myself.

But despite your personal tastes, if one was going to ask "What is the greatest American rock band?," their name HAS to come up, along with Aerosmith, GNR, Lynryd Skynyrd, Metallica, Nirvana, etc.

They have a fan base that is as cultish and passionate as the Parrotheads and, getting back to the original point, "Detroit Rock City" at 9 p.m. on Saturdays is as identifiable with the station as Stanley P. Kachowski or the Beat Farmers' "Happy Boy" Friday's at 3 p.m.

And to be honest, this is a good example as to where WDVE loses it, in my opinion.

Kiss started in 1973. We all know how popular they've become since then.

Now, using that year as a base for comparison, how many platnum albums do you think Neil Young, still a staple on WDVE, has had since the inception of Kiss?

The answer is ONE- 1992's Harvest Moon. An album so "rockish" that it included vocals from such ruckous hellions as Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor.

Oh, please- give me directions to that party! :

Good rock and roll is supposed to be timeless. Neil Young's songs are so out-of-date one can taste the sour milk as they are being played- and I even like the riff in "Downtown!"

You just can't tell me WDVE is giving the people what they want.

 

[corporateradiosucks]

They play Rock & Roll All Night every Friday to kick off the Electric Lunch.

I don't think you have to bash Neil Young to prop up Kiss. He is the Y in CSNY, if nothing else, and there are far more recent bands/artists that have aged far more poorly.

Rock doesn't mean shredding guitars constantly. (As evidenced by Kiss's hit song, Beth. )

 

[Pratte4Life]

Rock doesn't mean shredding guitars constantly. (As evidenced by Kiss's hit song, Beth. )

Please, no more of this mindset. I happen to think it has merit, but I also am very well aware that this mindset is what got "Piano Man" played on the old WRRK playlist.

Besides, "Beth" is for wimps.

 

[Parttimer]

DVE musically is about 2/3 classic rock station and 1/3 AAA....

 

[Pratte4Life]

The American Automobile Association?

 

[dB]

DVE musically is about 2/3 classic rock station and 1/3 AAA....

Would an AAA station play "Little Deuce Coupe" and "Dead Man's Curve" ?

 

[Parttimer]

The American Automobile Association?

Yes.

 

[Parttimer]

DVE musically is about 2/3 classic rock station and 1/3 AAA....

Would an AAA station play "Little Deuce Coupe" and "Dead Man's Curve" ?

No, but there are classic rock stations that would think about it.

 

[pman44]

But despite your personal tastes, if one was going to ask "What is the greatest American rock band?," their name HAS to come up, along with Aerosmith, GNR, Lynryd Skynyrd, Metallica, Nirvana, etc.

Their name coming up in that discussion would be followed by every real rock fans' lunch coming up. They are a punchline without a joke. Just because people bought their records doesn't mean they weren't crap and doesn't mean they should be played on DVE.

 

[corporateradiosucks]

DVE musically is about 2/3 classic rock station and 1/3 AAA....

Would an AAA station play "Little Deuce Coupe" and "Dead Man's Curve" ?

No, but there are classic rock stations that would think about it.

That sounds like it needs my Beatles Facial Hair corollary.
Pre-facial hair Beatles - 3WS. Post-facial hair Beatles - DVE.

The Beach Boys version would be Brian before and after drugs.

 

[FreddyE1977]

KISS also made a cheesy Canadian movie called "Detroit Rock City". The mom in that flick is highly religious
and totally freaked-out at the thought of her son having records made by Knights in Satan's Service.

Come to think of it, that's pretty much how my mom felt about them as well.

And listening to one of their records all these years later and hearing the level of musical artistry involved,
I'd have to agree, they sure needed SOME type of gimmick to sell those things.

 

[Pratte4Life]

Regardless, they are one of the very few bands where everyone in the world knows all of the members (at least the original ones- but if you want to go down that road Pete Best isn't exactly a household name, either), they were played for years on this time slot, now they are not, and WDVE's cume is now only the third largest in town.

A classic rock station should play Kiss. It's just that simple. To ignore this is to go down the road of ceasing to be a rock station and becoming the background music for your ride to church.

 

[pman44]

Putting KISS on the list of greatest American Rock Bands are like those people who vote for Pizza Hut and Vocelli's for best local pizza.

Very few people could name the original four members of KISS. SOME people may know Gene Simmons from his movies or terrible reality TV shows. Some people may know Paul Stanley as "the other guy." If anyone knows Peter Criss at all it's because they think he died as a homeless guy back in the 80's. As for Ace, the only one who could actually play a little bit, he could walk down Stanwix street in full make up and there wouldn't be 5 people who would get his name right.

As for DVE's playlist, the 3 or 4 times a week that they play anything from Loverboy more than fills their crap quotient. There's just no room for KISS.

 

[Parttimer]

Kiss was all about the live shows. The only two songs that ever got a lot of airplay were "Rock & roll all night" and "Beth", and that was CHR airplay.

 

[FreddyE1977]

I remember when certain Beautiful Music stations would put "Beth" in the rotation,
but would never, EVER identify the artist.

Saw Peter Criss interviewed recently in television, sans makeup.
If you met him on the street you'd think "middle-aged accountant from Queens".

 

[FreddyE1977]

Very few people could name the original four members of KISS.

well, my wife can name them all, because she's from Detroit Rock City, and whatever hold
that band has over that town it is pretty weird.

 

[Pratte4Life]

Everyone can name them all. Despite the non-fan above, Kiss is, like it or not, one of the few bands out there that everyone can name all the members of.

I realize that part of this is what decade you grew up in. But just as everyone who grew up in the '60s can name all the Beatles, everyone who grew up in the '70s (and the '80s) can name all the members of Kiss.

Even the WAMO and WDSY listeners can name all the members of Kiss, for crying out loud!

That settled, Part, saying that Kiss is two songs is like saying the Rolling Stones are merely "I Can't Get No Satisfaction," and I have heard that argued. Sheesh- Dr. Pepper just did a whole advertising campaign around "Calling Dr. Love."

THE ENTIRE POINT OF THIS THREAD IS THAT WDVE IS PLAYING SO MANY SO-CALLED ROCK SONGS THAT DON'T ROCK THEY DON'T HAVE "DETROIT ROCK CITY" ON AT 9 p.m. ON SATURDAYS ANYMORE- AND THAT THIS MINDSET HAS LED THEM TO WHERE THEIR PLACE ON TOP OF THE RATINGS HEAP IS NOW VULNERABLE!

Obviously, Kiss gets a little more than two songs played on the radio historically.

So I think you're shortchanging them a bit.

Now, this said- I'm not Mr. Kiss Army. I find their pretenciousness a bit galling myself.

But I do like my Pan Pizza. And Loverboy, for that matter. Does WIKZ still play "Working For the Weekend" at 5 p.m. on Fridays?


I don't necessarily like Nirvana. I hate grunge. But I also realize that if we were to have the greatest American Rock Band arguement, Nirvana has to be discussed, just as Kiss does.

And, 20 years later, a classic rock station might be well served to play "Smells Like Teen Spirit." At least the song moves a bit!

 

[Parttimer]

THE ENTIRE POINT OF THIS THREAD IS THAT WDVE IS PLAYING SO MANY SO-CALLED ROCK SONGS THAT DON'T ROCK THEY DON'T HAVE "DETROIT ROCK CITY" ON AT 9 p.m. ON SATURDAYS ANYMORE- AND THAT THIS MINDSET HAS LED THEM TO WHERE THEIR PLACE ON TOP OF THE RATINGS HEAP IS NOW VULNERABLE!

Vulnerable to what? Is there another rock station in the market that we don't know about? Their numbers are down because football season is over and those people are listening to the Pirate games. Plus, CHR is hot because there are stars in the format now and PPM does a better job of accurately measuring younger demos, so Kiss is way up (and that may or may not change with the arrival of the new WAMO).

None of that has anything to do with playing one song on Saturday night, when listening is low anyway.

Obviously, Kiss gets a little more than two songs played on the radio historically.

So I think you're shortchanging them a bit.

Maybe, but not much. The average classic rock station doesn't play them at all.

But the same things I said about Kiss can essentially be said of Metallica, who sold millions of albums with no airplay anywhere before "Enter Sandman" broke through.

What you are looking for is a station that just doesn't exist here. Try streaming 98 Rock from Tampa sometime, I think it's right up your alley (and what the X should be doing).