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Post by at40petebattistini on Jul 20, 2011 23:31:25 GMT -5
I believe it's worthwhile to reinforce the popularity of LP tracks being added to Top 40 playlists during the 70s. As you know, Watermark produced a special edition of AT40 on August 5, 1972 -- the National Album Countdown. This experimental program demonstrated how important LPs were in the mainstream music marketplace. With the exception of not playing a handful of representative tracks, it was a great show. Though this idea didn't take off initially (possibly due to too much music diversity), the weekly LP countdown idea became reality a few years later with LA deejay Humble Harve's NAC. Too bad those shows aren't available for rebroadcast. I just read on the SXM message board that 70s on 7 will play Casey's 8/5/72 album countdown in 2 weeks (weekend of August 6-7). That's good news...unless the show is edited. Considering some of the music in this show gets no airplay these days, I'm a little surprised this program will make it into the spotlight again. A couple of other related items... Beginning with the Billboard issue dated August 26, 1972 (a few weeks after the LP show), the Soul LP chart was discontinued and "absorbed" into the Top 200 LP chart. Was that a factor why the LP show never developed? Probably not, but who knows? Also, if you look at Billboard's Top 40 Easy Listening chart at that point in time, I have to wonder if using it was ever considered for a sister program while the idea to pursue American Country Countdown developed. I remember former statistician Ben Marichal once told me the EL chart was "a joke." Regardless, if it had become reality, I may have listened for two reasons -- it was Billboard's chart (and credible from my outsider perspective), and it contained songs that I wasn't hearing anywhere else. I can look at any of those charts today and point to recordings I've never heard. Watermark would've been way ahead had that idea seen the light of day.
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Post by dukelightning on Jul 21, 2011 7:25:07 GMT -5
Pete,
Did you know that the Soul LP chart was reinstated less than 2 months later? So I would guess that the album countdown did not materialize for some other reason. Seems like I read somewhere that they did this special countdown to gauge feedback from the stations and listeners. So maybe the feedback was not as good as they hoped for. "Ben M. thought the EL chart was a joke". Could that explain why Casey never mentioned the #1 song on that chart when he mentioned #1s on other charts? He even got the disco/dance chart into the discussion for awhile even though that chart was much newer than the EL/AC chart. Not ever mentioning the #1 song on the EL/AC chart is right up there with the biggest curiosities I have ever had about AT40.
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Post by at40petebattistini on Jul 21, 2011 9:47:57 GMT -5
Pete, Did you know that the Soul LP chart was reinstated less than 2 months later? So I would guess that the album countdown did not materialize for some other reason. Seems like I read somewhere that they did this special countdown to gauge feedback from the stations and listeners. So maybe the feedback was not as good as they hoped for. "Ben M. thought the EL chart was a joke". Could that explain why Casey never mentioned the #1 song on that chart when he mentioned #1s on other charts? He even got the disco/dance chart into the discussion for awhile even though that chart was much newer than the EL/AC chart. Not ever mentioning the #1 song on the EL/AC chart is right up there with the biggest curiosities I have ever had about AT40. Yes, the Soul LP chart returned on October 14, 1972 but I'm not sure if there was an explanation upon its return. Yes, you're right. The NAC may have been scrapped due to a lack of station/listener encouragement. I believe Ben was quite influential as a staff member during AT40's early years. In fact, at one point during a 1972 broadcast, Casey noted that three key people read every listener letter sent to AT40 -- Casey, Don Bustany and Ben Marichal. Ben's knowledge (opinion) of the EL chart may have been enough for Casey to keep that particular survey at arm's length.
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Post by bestmusicexpert on Jul 21, 2011 10:23:52 GMT -5
See, other than some questionable songs being ranked at #1. (Spinning Wheel by BST doesn't qualify IMHO) I don't see why they didn't use it. Alot of ballads high on the pop charts may have benefitted by him announcing that it was #1 on the AC charts.
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Post by jdelachjr2002 on Jul 21, 2011 15:24:15 GMT -5
I think there should've been an AC countdown long ago. It took Casey over two decades to have such a countdown in 1992 (and it became part of the American Top 40 family in 1998).
Besides older people tend to listen to AC or oldies to escape the dreck that is pop radio. Just suggesting.
I personally wish all Billboard issues were available on Google so I could see what songs were popular as far as AC is concerned.
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Post by lonelysummer on Jul 21, 2011 16:24:28 GMT -5
I listened to nothing but AM radio as a kid, and Stairway was always getting played. All 7 minutes of it. I think it may have even been #1 on a couple stations' all time hits countdowns. I assumed it was that way everywhere. Zeppelin were not nearly as popular on top 40 radio as Elton John, Carpenters, Three Dog Night, or the Eagles, but that one song was enough to keep them in heavy rotation on KJR and KING in Seattle.
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Post by bestmusicexpert on Jul 21, 2011 21:12:03 GMT -5
I'd do an A/C classic countdown if I had the money or the time. But the 60's one is a handful and I don't have time for that, my specials and an A/C countdown. (I'm not even sure what decades I'd do because 60's thru 80's would be my favorite times!)
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Post by kahunaburger61 on Jul 25, 2011 4:07:10 GMT -5
Depends on when it would have been released. If in late '71 instead of "Black Dog" I think it would've been top 3 at least. Primarily would have competed with Harry Nilsson's "Without You" 4 week reign at the top. If released as follow up single instead of "Rock n Roll" (which didn't even make top 40) it would've had a tougher shot to make it to top vs. #1 song of '72 "First Time Ever I Saw His Face" by Roberta Flack. Got to remember that "Imagine" by John Lennon released only a couple of months before only made it to #3 (after debuting at #20 in Hot 100) & it's now considered a classic. Rock was making inroads but wasn't quite there yet!
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Post by dukelightning on Jul 25, 2011 7:12:08 GMT -5
Using Imagine as a comparison is dubious since it was released late. The song was already in heavy airplay rotation when it was released resulting in the #20 debut. From that point on, you had declining airplay acting as a brake to the increasing sales. It was obviously enough to keep it from #1. The same thing happened with "Thriller" in 1984.
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Post by Ponderous Man on Jul 25, 2011 17:12:21 GMT -5
Moves 16-11-6 on WFIL Philadelphia from 10/2/72 thru 10/16; then spends at least 2 weeks at #1 for the first 2 weeks in November Nice! It's good to hear that Stairway hit #1 in Philly!
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Post by kahunaburger61 on Jul 26, 2011 0:36:46 GMT -5
Using Imagine as a comparison is dubious since it was released late. The song was already in heavy airplay rotation when it was released resulting in the #20 debut. From that point on, you had declining airplay acting as a brake to the increasing sales. It was obviously enough to keep it from #1. The same thing happened with "Thriller" in 1984. You make some great points but I believe it was just one of the most competitive periods for singles in Hot 100 history going up vs "Maggie May/Reason To Believe" Rod Stewart "Theme From Shaft" Issac Hayes "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves" Cher "Family Affair" Sly & The Family Stone "Got To Be There" Michael Jackson "Have You Seen Her" Chi Lites & "Baby I'm a Want You" Bread. Would love to hear your disertation on what prevented "Live & Let Die" by Paul McCartney & Wings from reaching the top!
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Post by dukelightning on Jul 26, 2011 8:18:23 GMT -5
Using Imagine as a comparison is dubious since it was released late. The song was already in heavy airplay rotation when it was released resulting in the #20 debut. From that point on, you had declining airplay acting as a brake to the increasing sales. It was obviously enough to keep it from #1. The same thing happened with "Thriller" in 1984. You make some great points but I believe it was just one of the most competitive periods for singles in Hot 100 history going up vs "Maggie May/Reason To Believe" Rod Stewart "Theme From Shaft" Issac Hayes "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves" Cher "Family Affair" Sly & The Family Stone "Got To Be There" Michael Jackson "Have You Seen Her" Chi Lites & "Baby I'm a Want You" Bread. Would love to hear your disertation on what prevented "Live & Let Die" by Paul McCartney & Wings from reaching the top! I bet you would.....lol It went 29-21-3, a move even more impressive than Imagine which went 20-6-4-3. No other song before or since in the pre-Soundscan made such an impressive climb into the top 5 and failed to hit #1. It of course climbed to #2 and was stopped not by a huge #1 but instead by 3 different #1 songs. It's best shot had to be in the first or second week it was at #2. The first week had The Morning After at #1 and the second had Touch Me in the Morning at #1. TMA acquired a second life after it won an academy award as it had been released 4 months prior. This propelled it to #1 and while it may have lost some ground by its second week on top, it had such a big lead that Live and Let Die could not overtake it. As to TMITM, well if Miss Ross could oust a much bigger hit of Paul's in 1976 from the #1 spot(after just a week at #1, Silly Love Songs gave way to Love Hangover), one should not be too surprised that she could overtake his song and also keep him out of the #1 spot in 1973. That said, I am surprised that a move from 21-3 did not result in a #1 single for the man who has been at #1 with more songs than any other person in the rock era. Hey are you a Beatles fan?
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Post by bandit73 on Jul 26, 2011 10:51:17 GMT -5
From what I see, the problem with the easy listening chart in the '70s was that they actually called it "easy listening". It really should have been called middle-of-the-road, not easy listening.
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Post by kahunaburger61 on Jul 27, 2011 2:04:53 GMT -5
You make some great points but I believe it was just one of the most competitive periods for singles in Hot 100 history going up vs "Maggie May/Reason To Believe" Rod Stewart "Theme From Shaft" Issac Hayes "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves" Cher "Family Affair" Sly & The Family Stone "Got To Be There" Michael Jackson "Have You Seen Her" Chi Lites & "Baby I'm a Want You" Bread. Would love to hear your disertation on what prevented "Live & Let Die" by Paul McCartney & Wings from reaching the top! Yeah! Bought the remastered stereo box set when came out 2 years ago. Think Lennon/McCartney & George Harrison master songwriters. Ringo...well he's Ringo & love his solo stuff (well the singles anyway!). I bet you would.....lol It went 29-21-3, a move even more impressive than Imagine which went 20-6-4-3. No other song before or since in the pre-Soundscan made such an impressive climb into the top 5 and failed to hit #1. It of course climbed to #2 and was stopped not by a huge #1 but instead by 3 different #1 songs. It's best shot had to be in the first or second week it was at #2. The first week had The Morning After at #1 and the second had Touch Me in the Morning at #1. TMA acquired a second life after it won an academy award as it had been released 4 months prior. This propelled it to #1 and while it may have lost some ground by its second week on top, it had such a big lead that Live and Let Die could not overtake it. As to TMITM, well if Miss Ross could oust a much bigger hit of Paul's in 1976 from the #1 spot(after just a week at #1, Silly Love Songs gave way to Love Hangover), one should not be too surprised that she could overtake his song and also keep him out of the #1 spot in 1973. That said, I am surprised that a move from 21-3 did not result in a #1 single for the man who has been at #1 with more songs than any other person in the rock era. Hey are you a Beatles fan?
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Post by kahunaburger61 on Jul 27, 2011 2:16:47 GMT -5
From what I see, the problem with the easy listening chart in the '70s was that they actually called it "easy listening". It really should have been called middle-of-the-road, not easy listening. Does wikipedia have list of #1 easy listening songs? Tried looking up #1 R & B/Soul/Black/Hip Hop songs & #1 C & W songs years ago & found nothing! Bought Joel Whitburn's Top 40 R & B and Hip Hop Singles book on amazon a year ago. When I get update on finances will buy top 40 C & W songs book.
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