Monday, May 22, 2017

Good Radio, Bad Radio




As I drove to and from Massapequa yesterday, I heard the following on NYC's classic rock radio:

Journey- Don't Stop Believing
The Beatles- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Billy Joel-Big Shot
Journey- Separate Ways
Rolling Stones- Miss You
Billy Joel- Pressure
Led Zeppelin-All My Love
The Beatles-Come Together
Kansas-Carry On My Wayward Son

If I hadn't shut the radio off, I know I would have heard more of the same.

I am not here to trash any of these artists, though I do wonder why classic rock radio rarely plays any early Beatles or Stones. It always seems to be "The White Album," "Abbey Road," "Some Girls" and "Tattoo You." Do "I Feel Fine" and "The Last Time" not rock?

Two weeks ago I was having coffee on a balcony in the French Quarter. It was early, around 8AM. I had WWOZ playing, New Orleans best radio station. Over the course of an hour, I heard music by Dr. John, Bix Beiderbecke, Suzanne Vega, The Beatles, The Meters, Abdullah Ibrahim, the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Ray Davies and the band I am featuring with two songs, the Tied & Tickled Trio.

It was all so refreshing, and this German band kind of blew me away. AND...it was on the radio.

The track up top is the opener on their record, "Observing Systems." The track below, is what was played on WWOZ. 



10 comments:

Jon said...

I get a kick out out of the comforting banality of "classic rock radio" which I listen to while out running and observed that a number of the corporate CR formats have whacked the Beatles and the 60s entirely from their playlists. The Washington DC station, I think called "Big 100" didn't include them in their annual "top 1000" countdown over the holidays. Also notable: the ascension of "Sweet Home Alabama" to the all-time top 10s which I think has to do with the reddening of the south and Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials. Here in NY, Q1043 has dropped Ken Dashow's Beatles show from their streaming broadcast, so now I have to eat brunch in my car.

Chris Collins said...

Corporate classic rock radio makes me hate songs that I love

Anonymous said...

difficult to generalize, but I imagine in big cities the competition for advertising dollars is so tough and the audience margins so small that it only makes sense to play it safe to insure SOME kind of listenership. in Houston we're lucky to have several universities providing the alternative - KTSU's "Jazz in All Its Colors," KACC's "Gulf Coast Rocker" (non-programmed rock which syndicates Ken Michaels' "Every Little Thing" program on Saturday morning) and KTRU's internet-only batshit student programming, to go along with Pacifica's KPFT (loads of blues punctuated by the Dead, electro/Asian, zydeco, R&B, you name it). Of course, the signal for any them doesn't get you far out of town.

Shriner said...

Face it, we are getting older and the sliding time-line of what is considered "classic rock" is moving along accordingly. I'm surprised it's taken this long for corporate CR radio to whack 60s songs entirely. "Oldies" radio whacked almost anything Pre-Beatles a *long* time ago...

JAYESSEMM said...

I've been listening to WWOZ.COM all day.

Very cool!

Thanks Sal

Sal Nunziato said...

So does no one like the Tied And Tickled Trio?

Dr Wu said...

Sorry. From the shared clips, I bought the album and have been listening to it all day. Thanks again, Sal! Another ace!

buzzbabyjesus said...

I don't know my Jazz from a hole in the ground, but whatever kind the T&T Trio are serving knocks me out. I think I'm on the verge of a Jazz binge. This helps.

I NEVER, EVER listen to classic rock radio. I've been sick of those songs since whenever.

scarrafone said...

Imagine: you turn on your radio, and CCR comes out with the 11 minutes of "I heard it through the grapevine". How can it be?
P.S. This Blog is awesome, very very appreciated

Michael Giltz said...

Apples vs oranges! I imagined, I guessed and I was right: WWOZ is a local, nonprofit, community owned and operated radio station in New Orleans. Of course it's better than a commercial classic rock radio station (and why would you ever listen to that? :) You should compare it to NYC's public /independent/nonprofit radio stations, not the easy awfulness of corporate radio. I never listened to any radio as a kid because I grew up in South Florida and if we had college radio or any other decent option, I didn't know it. The commercial radio was dreadful and anonymous. Listening to Tied & Tickled Trio which sounds like a very German name indeed.