Favorite "AT40" show

[mrjukebox]

I thought of two other "AT40" shows from the Casey Kasem era that should be considered classics:6/29/74-That's when the "AT40" staff didn't receive the "Hot 100" chart on time & had to guess what that week's rankings were going to be-12/13/80-Five days after John Lennon was murdered,Casey delivered a heartfelt tribute.

[secretman]

Not my favorite one, but i remember one time when Casey corrected a wrong position of a song from the past program.

[redsox]

My favorite 1970 show,

was of course the very first broadcast of At40 show from 7/4/70 maybe we will hear on the weekend of Casey's final week of new programming on the air on At40: The 70s.

[mrjukebox]

Redsox,I'm thinking that Premiere will air the very first "AT40" from 7/4/70 in two weeks.

[briguy52748]

Jun 17, 2009 15:00:16 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

Redsox,I'm thinking that Premiere will air the very first "AT40" from 7/4/70 in two weeks.

As long as:

• They air an explanatory note announcing Casey's retirement (as by Mike Kasem, not Ed McMann).

• Premiere also airs the AT40: Top Artists of the 1970s, Take 2 from July 1, 1978, on a subsequent weekend.

Brian

[pandy]

I have really no one favorite AT 40 show. In my opinion they were all great works of broadcast excellence. There are two shows that stand out in front of the others. The first is the very first Disappearing Acts Special (#733-1 7/7/1973). It was the most expensive show ever produced and Casey had fun humming along at the end of the Stereo's "I Really Love You" mixed with the timely stories as to 'where are they now' including the story about John Weber as later updated in the second show from 1975. The second show was the Top 40 Artists of the Rock & Roll era (#734-1 10/6/1973). The Beatles Montage that was put together by Tom Rounds and Lee Hansen was a mind blower. I really liked the shows that came out during the summer of 1974 mainly because of two short lived features. One was the music beds that were laid out over the stories and 'billboards' and the radio station mentions that we ID'd by the stations themselves.

[at40petebattistini]

Jun 9, 2009 17:12:44 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

Without a doubt,my favorite "AT40" show was the initial countdown from 7/4/70-I liked the story Casey told about Louis Armstrong being the first American artist who managed to dislodge The Beatles from the #1 spot-Casey then played "Hello Dolly" as an "AT40 Special".

I've got to go along with mrjukebox and redsox on this one. Like most of us, I was not able to hear this program when the show debuted 39 years ago. However, I recall eagerly waiting to hear this countdown when Casey announced in June 1975 that it would be featured as a special on AT40's 5th anniversary.

As you know, the network of AT40 stations grew tremendously throughout the 70s. But from 1970-75, it was far from where we know it today. In fact, some fans on this site may not be able to relate to the fact that AM radio was the primary source for music then. With few exceptions, if you couldn't hear AT40 on a local or perhaps regional AM station, you likely couldn't hear it at all. No Internet to search. No fan base to trade programs. No Charis Music Group to upgrade audio fidelity. Once shows aired, they were gone for good.

Or so we thought. For July 1975, it was all the more reason to look forward to the special rebroadcast of Casey's first program.

Have a safe and restful 4th of July!

[mrjukebox]

Pete,your comments are right on target-I had to wait five years until I heard the rebroadcast of Casey's first show-It was well worth the wait.

[mkarns]

I particularly respect the enormous amount of time and effort that went into the earliest shows of AT40's run (roughly its first two years). Back then the show was taped in "real time", meaning that Casey had to hold out for a long time with no mistakes; if he sneezed or coughed during a sentence then that may often have meant that they had to start over and redo a long segment. (And he did not take a single week off from AT40 for its first 16 months.) And in addition to producing, Don Bustany was then also usually the only writer, and he didn't have a whole lot of pop music reference books, let alone the Internet or similar modern day databases, to work with.

In light of all the hard work involved, it's especially gratifying to read of Casey and Don fighting hard and successfully to keep AT40 on the air in its early days when it wasn't turning a profit. The show may have been viewed as "disposable" at first, but they knew that they were producing something of lasting value.

[mrjukebox]

I recall reading in Rob Durkee's book on "AT40" that when the show premiered in 1970,Joel Whitburn had just started his company Record Research-If you're someone who either works in radio or a hardcore music aficionado,his books are worth owning.

[redsox]

My Favorite 1971 episode was the 9/4/ episode with 8 debuts and Paul McCartney leaping from #12 to #1 with Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

[Jeffster]

It's tough decide which of these two is my favorite AT40 with Casey show, so I won't, I'll just list both of them. ;D

The Top 40 Hits of the Rock Era (1955-1972), which I think aired the July 4th weekend, 1972 (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.) So many classics on that show, very few songs I don't like. Just great song after great song, and some of the most influential artists of all time.

and

The Bicentennial Special July 4, 1976 which aired the #1 songs of the 4th of July from 1937 to 1976. This show aired just about a month before I was born, and is so fascinating to listen to how pop music evolved over those 40 years. I have given that show as a gift several times and every one who I know that has heard it has loved it.

[mikefalk]

Not a favorite show, but one of my funniest memories of Casey was when "I Want Your Sex" by George Michael was in the countdown (1987). Apparently the title was a little too risque for Casey, because he rarely said it. Every other song, he was so meticulous about saying the title and artist before and after, but for "I Want Your Sex" he would say "at number 10 this week, that was George Michael" and go on to the next song.

[stevet45]

I've thought about this for a long time, since this thread was started.

I guess I've got personal favorite shows -- whether it was because of the music played, a story told or memories of where I was, what I was doing or who I was with when I first heard that particular show, but inevitably, I kept coming back to the same conclusion:

My favorite AT40 is the one I'm listening to at the time.

Thanks, Casey, from someone who's been listening since the summer of '71.

I'm also thankful that, while you're enjoying your well-earned retirement, you've left us all a lasting legacy of your work.

I can pop in a previous show from any year that I choose and and feel that rush of excitement when I hear the opening notes of the theme song all over again. You've been a constant in my life since I was a grade-school kid, and I'm happy that you will continue to be a part of my life as long as I have ears to hear.

[caseyfantwo]

My Favorite Show was October 5th 1975. The Top 40 Acts Of The 50's!