WODS/Oldies 103 American Top 40/70s Weekly Countdowns

[WMC2006]

Despite the fact that I kept track tonite (although I missed the first 25 minutes which were #s 26-23), I wasn't going to post this countdown at all. But, as it turns out, this was a somewhat significant episode of AT40 because it included the very first....Long Distance Dedication.

It was from a young teen named James from "a small town" in Louisiana. He fell in love with a young girl (Desiree) from the same town but she and her family ended up moving to Germany because her father was in the military and "that's where they sent him". Not long after, the song "Desiree" by Neil Diamond came out and reminded him very much of their relationship. So, the dedication was...you guessed it...Desiree by Neil Diamond. :

Casey invited listeners to send in their own LDD's and "all we ask is you request a song that was a hit".

The snail mail address (no email back then) is/was:

AT40/Long Distance Dedication
Box 8170
Universal City, CA 91608

I think someone oughta write to that address and see if it gets to current host Ryan Seacrest. But address the letter to Casey. Maybe it would pi$$ off Seacrest. ;D

So, the top 22 from the week ending August 26, 1978:

22 Stuff Like That Quincy Jones
21 Summer Nights Travolta/the gorgeous Olivia Newton-John ("She got friendly down in the sand..." ;D )

20 You And I Rick James
19 Love Is In The Air John Paul Young
18 Life's Been Good Joe Walsh
17 My Angel Baby ????
16 Hot Child In The City Nick Gilder

15 Fool If You Think It's Over Chris ??Ria??
14 Copacabana Barry Manilow
13 Got To Get You Into My Life Earth Wind & Fire
12 Shame Evelyn "Champagne" King
11 Kiss You All Over Exile

10 Last Dance Donna Summer
9 Everlasting Love Andy Gibb
8 Magnet and Steel Walter Egan
7 Hopelessly Devoted To You the gorgeous Olivia Newton-John
6 Love Will Find A Way Pablo Cruz

*****the previously mentioned very first Long Distance Dedication******

5 Hot Blooded Foreigner
4 Boogie Oogie Oogie A Taste Of Honey
3 Miss You Rolling Stones
2 Three Times A Lady The Commodores

And the number one song in the land

1 Grease Franki Valli

It was a big week for "Grease" in the countdown.

And AT40 is/was heard on great radio stations like:

WIZE/Springfield, Ohio
3DB/Melbourne, Australia
1XA/Auckland, New Zealand
WKFM/Fulton, NY

 

[raccoonradio]

One of Casey's LDD features prominently in the "U2" CD single by media satirists Negativland (a CD single
sued out of existence due to complaints by Island Records and Casey Kasem). Clips of Casey swearing his
head off were heard, plus he was attempting to do a LDD and not having much luck.

"Now. We're up to our Long Distance Dedication. And this one is about kids, and pets, and a situation
that most of us can understand, whether we have kids or pets, or neither. It's from a man in Cincinnatti,
Ohio, and here's what he writes; 'Casey, this may seem to be a strange request...recently there was a death
in our family. He was a little dog named Snuggles..."

Casey promptly loses it after he finds out that an uptempo song is about to be played after the LDD.
He objects to that, happening after he's supposed to read about "a dog dying"

"OK, I want a (bleep) concerted effort
to come out of a record that isn't a
(bleeping) up-tempo record everytime I do a
(bleep) death dedication! It's the last
(bleep) time, I want SOMEBODY to use his
(bleepin') brain, to not come out of a
(bleep) record that is, uh, that, that's
up-tempo and I gotta talk about a (bleep)
dog dying!!!"

 

[WMC2006]

I've heard that "blooper" a few times and, in fact, I think it's probably been posted on this website a couple of times. It is also listed (linked) at the bottom of the Casey Kasem page on Wikipedia under External Links as The Dead Dog Tape.

 

[WMC2006]

This week's number 1 song, from the week of September 13, 1975:

"Like A Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell

 

[cARLOS Blake]

My Angel Baby was by Toby Beau.

 

[raccoonradio]

Forgot to tune in last night! But I did hear part of the show last week (as I drove back to Boston area
from Hartford)--AT40's actual shows are being replayed, though you can also hear Casey do liners
("You're listening to classic American Top Forty on Oldies 103") from the present time ( a bit more of
a raspy voice for CK these days). They did '72 or something last week...inc. Go Away Little Girl
by Donnie Osmond, and Casey told the story of how Donnie got to sing that song...Rare Earth might have
been on there, etc.

Some songs you don't get to hear much on the radio were there, too (speaking of which it's a Lost 45s
weekend on O-103.3). Casey did his usual things like "AT40 is heard this time each week on great
radio stations like..."

I remember hearing the show on some Boston stations--and when it wasn't on in Boston I'd hear it
on stations like the old WHEB (AM)750 (with some splashover from WCAS 740)

Casey used to talk about how he'd do talk breaks for the show--even if he wasn't quite into the
music, he'd always find some kind of trivial but interesting info to pass along to get the listener
hooked.
Though in the famous blooper tapes apparently he got flustered when he was apparently reading
some info about U2 written by someone else and he started to object: "The four man band features
Dave "The Edge" Evans on guitar, Larry Mullen on drums, Adam Clayton on bass...this is B.S.!
Nobody gives a (crap)! These people are from ENGLAND, and who gives a (crap)? Just a, just a lot
of wasted names that don't mean diddley (crap)!"
Dublin of course is in Ireland.

 

[MassMusicMan]

I'm waiting for somebody to strike a deal with Westwood One so that we can hear the "Casey's Top 40" shows of the 1990's. Those are my oldies!

 

[BRNout]

I'm waiting for somebody to strike a deal with Westwood One so that we can hear the "Casey's Top 40" shows of the 1990's. Those are my oldies!

No, that is like comparing apples with blueberries. Your 90's "oldies" would be different from the next person's 90's "oldies".

One thing that you need to understand is that AT40 in the 70s was a completely different animal than it was by the 90s. In the 70s, the average person was interested in surveys and in who was #1 that week. Those shows got great ratings back then - most people tuned in. AT40 was hugely popular at the time. By the 1990's, music had fragmented and interest in surveys had waned. IIRC, AT-40 was barely making it by that time.

So, syndicating AT40 shows from after 1984 or so is probably less likely to happen because times had changed by then. There's not the same nostalgia factor.

 

[cARLOS Blake]

I have a bunch of old ones on vinyl from 80-82...could they be of any value only have been played once or twice? Also the big American Top 40 end of the year countdown to wrap up 1982...I believe Physical was #1. Also have one where Gary Owens filled in for Casey & one of Charlie Van Dyke "Mowin' the AT40 lawn for Casey this week".

 

[cARLOS Blake]

Now if only somebody's rerun the old America's Top 10 TV shows & Friday Night Videos(before they got a bunch of guest hosts on there).

 

[BRNout]

Now if only somebody's rerun the old America's Top 10 TV shows & Friday Night Videos(before they got a bunch of guest hosts on there).

NBC's Friday Night Videos from around 1984 or so would be a hoot to watch now. I'd tune in.