Worst classic hits station?

[davideduardo]

These all "stiffs," Eduardo? Really? You'd better think again.

Without checking every one, I'd comment that there were plenty of songs that crossed the December / January border without being big hits in the ending or starting years, yet were together fairly significant songs.

 

[CTListener]

These all "stiffs," Eduardo? Really? You'd better think again.

Without checking every one, I'd comment that there were plenty of songs that crossed the December / January border without being big hits in the ending or starting years, yet were together fairly significant songs.

One of them, "Lodi," was the B side of a very significant song, "Bad Moon Rising." It got a lot more airplay than its Billboard peak position would indicate.

Several others were either AOR crossovers or singles by artists whose deeper cuts were played on AOR stations. I could never understand why "Changes," "Tiny Dancer," "Tequila Sunrise" and the like got so much AM airplay yet never seemed to climb the chart. Same with BTO's "Let It Ride" -- the fact that it didn't even go top 20 boggles my mind, because it got the radio exposure of a much bigger hit, at least where I was (Syracuse) at the time.

 

[oldies76]

1983:
It's Raining Men - Weather Girls (#46)

Ahhh Terrible song!! But you're right, many 40+ charters are being aired...."I Melt With You" is another one I believe.

But there are tons of gems from positions 10 thru 39 that are being avoided (1964-1985). And then you really have the lost songs from positions 40 to 100!

The exception might be "L.A. Freeway" by Jerry Jeff Walker! Look that one up! Great song!

 

[CTListener]

1983:
It's Raining Men - Weather Girls (#46)

Ahhh Terrible song!! But you're right, many 40+ charters are being aired...."I Melt With You" is another one I believe.

But there are tons of gems from positions 10 thru 39 that are being avoided (1964-1985). And then you really have the lost songs from positions 40 to 100!

The exception might be "L.A. Freeway" by Jerry Jeff Walker! Look that one up! Great song!

MCA tried to take Jerry Jeff Walker mainstream and pushed several singles to country radio, with limited success. I remember hearing "Jaded Lover" on a small AM country station in Mississippi once. I'd suppose that any exposure his singles got on pop radio was limited to small Southern and Southwestern markets. And maybe Jerry Jeff's hometown of ... would you believe ... Oneonta, New York?

 

[SolidGold16]

The exception might be "L.A. Freeway" by Jerry Jeff Walker! Look that one up! Great song!

Oldies, Great minds think alike! I don't need to look that one up, I love that song! When I first moved to the LA area back in the late '70s, KEZY - Anaheim used to play this often. I had never heard it where I lived in FL (not something that would play in WRBQ or WLCY in Tampa...). I can't remember the PD's name right now at KEZY but he used to really play some deep cuts back then.

Here's a great interview and a live version of the song from the Dinah Shore Show back then: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD4RD8vlqVQ

I think they cut out the "Sons of Bitches" line here, though

Great lyric by Guy Clark, I liked the JJ Walker version more since I heard it first.

Just one more example of a great song that's been long ignored by radio.

 

[oldies76]

The exception might be "L.A. Freeway" by Jerry Jeff Walker! Look that one up! Great song!

Oldies, Great minds think alike! I don't need to look that one up, I love that song!

Just one more example of a great song that's been long ignored by radio.

I wonder how that classic charted in the L.A. area?? Nationally only #98.

I found out about that great song back in the late 70's, hearing it on reel to reel and eventually (mid 80's) found out it was part of a K-Tel compilation with other 1973 hits on it. And remember, in those days, the versions were original, just edited to death.

Maybe KRTH should add "L.A. Freeway" to it's rotation! It'll sound great during the PM drivetime! ;D

 

[SolidGold16]

I wonder how that classic charted in the L.A. area?? Nationally only #98.

I found out about that great song back in the late 70's, hearing it on reel to reel and eventually (mid 80's) found out it was part of a K-Tel compilation with other 1973 hits on it. And remember, in those days, the versions were original, just edited to death.

Maybe KRTH should add "L.A. Freeway" to it's rotation! It'll sound great during the PM drivetime! ;D

Yes, you'd think that a song so LA-centric would have more airplay around here (like Mark Lindsay's "Arizona" playing in PHX forever). Maybe the locals are just spoiled by so many songs being about California that they basically ignored this one. OTOH, it also could be the fact that the lyrics are so virulently Anti-LA: "Throw out those LA papers", "Adios to all this concrete", etc. ;D

Another nice song from the same time period as LA Freeway (c. ~1978), "California" by Debby Boone also didn't make a dent in the charts. I heard it on KEZY also but only for a short time before it disappeared forever into the ether. I hated "You light up my life" but I really liked "California": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwaqK84CoE4

 

[CTListener]

I wonder how that classic charted in the L.A. area?? Nationally only #98.

I found out about that great song back in the late 70's, hearing it on reel to reel and eventually (mid 80's) found out it was part of a K-Tel compilation with other 1973 hits on it. And remember, in those days, the versions were original, just edited to death.

Maybe KRTH should add "L.A. Freeway" to it's rotation! It'll sound great during the PM drivetime! ;D

Yes, you'd think that a song so LA-centric would have more airplay around here (like Mark Lindsay's "Arizona" playing in PHX forever).

And "Dirty Water" in Boston. That's likely to be the last '60s title left on an FM playlist in that city.