AT40 ON XM

[bdpop]

Somthing I noticed this time around. We are not getting the vicious comments about AT40 that we got back in 2002, when it ran the first time. These seems to be a more positive attitude about the show now.

[spt72]

So, Shannon, do you think XM is more tied to Casey or the "AT40" brand? You mentioned Shadoe... but you would think if its Casey they wanted that youd see "Casey's Top 40" from its inception. Even if you dont know for sure, I'd be interested in your opinion on this. You know the Premiere people and XM people more than most of us. So, which do you think it is - if either?

And, since no one has asked yet, any chance seeing Shadoe or Casey on the 90s station? Heard anything?

Thanks,
Shawn

[Shannon Lynn]

spt72 said:

So, Shannon, do you think XM is more tied to Casey or the "AT40" brand? You mentioned Shadoe... but you would think if its Casey they wanted that youd see "Casey's Top 40" from its inception. Even if you dont know for sure, I'd be interested in your opinion on this. You know the Premiere people and XM people more than most of us. So, which do you think it is - if either?

And, since no one has asked yet, any chance seeing Shadoe or Casey on the 90s station? Heard anything?

Thanks,
Shawn

Well, for what it's worth, I have been doing Casey's Top 40 shows for them but not at the rate of the AT40's. I have also been asked for shows in the 80's that Shadoe has done. So, read what you may into it. I'd like to believe it means that they will air both but there's no guarantee.

Again, if you guys want Casey's Top 40 / shadoe's AT40 in the 90's, write and lobby the XM 90's people. I'm not sure but I think the email address is [e-mail].

As for me, I always though Shadoe was a good host. Was he Casey? Of course not, but he had his own style and personality and he was as much a victim of bad music as anything else. That's just my opinion LOL.

My 'dream,' and it would take lobbying by all of you on this too, would be to get the oldies country channels on XM to pick up and work out a deal for the American Country Countdown shows of the 70s and 80s

[shadster]

Ok, so if your remastering the end of the year shows, I know the engineers were famous for editing out verses of the songs so as to make the show shorter, are you editing in the missing verses of the songs? Cuz I know almost every end of the year show that *I* have, I have to edit in missing verses of at least 20 or so songs per countdown. I'm still missing 1 from the '86 show, I think it was a song by Klymax somewhere in the top15, I couldnt find a copy of the song in my maze of hundreds of tapes so I'm still kinda looking for that missing verse.

[Matt Cameron]

Well, thanks to Casey and AT40, XM has a new subscriber- ME! I went out today and bought the boom box and receiver and just hooked it up. Listening to the AT4o countdown on the 70's channel. Sounds great, and it's great to hear Casey doing the new promos for XM.
As someone who's bought from Shannon many times in the past, I'm not surprised the quality of the recordings is so terrific. He's the best at what he does. All Hail Grand Poobah! (lol)

[jlbass]

The reason for the lack of vicious comments this time as opposed to 2002-2003 is most likely due to XM limiting its marathon to a weekend this time as opposed to Casey Kasemas which was 2 weeks of nothing but Casey and lots of repeats. After that AT40 was on every day on the 80s. I think Bruce Kelley overplayed it -they only had AT40 for a short time(bought the rights that were given up when Flashback was pulled). As a result, people started complaining that AT40 was on too much and a poll was held to decide the fate of the show. Those voting to take it off "won" but it was a false victory in that they were going to have to take it off anyway. Heidi Selexa (the 80s nite DJ) was making all kinds of snide remarks about it throughout Feb 2003. Actually most of those who voted to take it off posted messages that they would like to continue to hear the show but not every day. (once or twice was the preference of most).

In a lot of ways, AT40 will be much better this time since XM has the chart rights and more say over the shows and you don't have Bruce Kelly acting like a fool and making promises he couldn't keep and Heidi whinning about AT40 all the time. This time they are much more professional and only going to broadcast 2x per week per channel and not every day.

John

[Shannon Lynn]

John,

I could not have voiced my opinion any better. Great post!

jlbass said:

The reason for the lack of vicious comments this time as opposed to 2002-2003 is most likely due to XM limiting its marathon to a weekend this time as opposed to Casey Kasemas which was 2 weeks of nothing but Casey and lots of repeats. After that AT40 was on every day on the 80s. I think Bruce Kelley overplayed it -they only had AT40 for a short time(bought the rights that were given up when Flashback was pulled). As a result, people started complaining that AT40 was on too much and a poll was held to decide the fate of the show. Those voting to take it off "won" but it was a false victory in that they were going to have to take it off anyway. Heidi Selexa (the 80s nite DJ) was making all kinds of snide remarks about it throughout Feb 2003. Actually most of those who voted to take it off posted messages that they would like to continue to hear the show but not every day. (once or twice was the preference of most).

In a lot of ways, AT40 will be much better this time since XM has the chart rights and more say over the shows and you don't have Bruce Kelly acting like a fool and making promises he couldn't keep and Heidi whinning about AT40 all the time. This time they are much more professional and only going to broadcast 2x per week per channel and not every day.

John

[Matt Cameron]

Just realized this '79 countdown is one I got Shannon to record for me. Realized it when Casey started telling the Herb Fame story.

[Shannon Lynn]

shadster said:

Ok, so if your remastering the end of the year shows, I know the engineers were famous for editing out verses of the songs so as to make the show shorter, are you editing in the missing verses of the songs? Cuz I know almost every end of the year show that *I* have, I have to edit in missing verses of at least 20 or so songs per countdown. I'm still missing 1 from the '86 show, I think it was a song by Klymax somewhere in the top15, I couldnt find a copy of the song in my maze of hundreds of tapes so I'm still kinda looking for that missing verse.

On the year ends, I've not done anything to alter in that way. I am aware of shortening songs, particularly in the 1977-1978 era before the program was lengthened to 4 hours. However, they didn't do it by cutting verses, they just simply only played the first 2 minutes or so..or in the case of one Barry White cut only a minute and so many seconds!

Now, if you can get me specific instances, I'll be glad to check and see what I can do. I can tell you that for some songs I was working on for weekly shows in 1975, I've spliced in some full lengths where some shorter versions were used. The shorter versions in those cases cut from the middle and not the end so it made it easy ;-)

[bdpop]

I'm just wondering. With all this talk about needing cue sheets. What is the oldest cue sheet anyone has seen. I have never seen one from the pre-vinyl days. Do any still exist?

[jedijake]

I did notice one mistake. However, it was not in the transmission of the show, but rather in Casey's answer to a trivia question. The question had to do with songs that debuted in the Hot 100 in the top 10 (before the dreaded days of soundscan). I believe the show was a 1981 edition. He reported that 4 songs did that-1 from Elvis, the Purple People Eater, and two from the Beatles: Let It Be and Long And Winding Road.

There were two others from the Beatles that both entered inside the top 10. Hey Jude and Get Back both entered at #10 on the Hot 100.

[Shannon Lynn]

bdpop said:

I'm just wondering. With all this talk about needing cue sheets. What is the oldest cue sheet anyone has seen. I have never seen one from the pre-vinyl days. Do any still exist?

Oh yes, Pete Battistini has sheets going back to at least May of 1971. There's a copy of one in his AWESOME book. A MUST have if you don't have it. But....I have manually created them for all of the 1970 and 1971 shows they're using and will have to do it for many, many more it looks like. I don't mind doing it but it cuts into my recording and editing time significantly so it's a matter of type up some cue sheets that exist out there or record shows.

[mstgator]

sportgames said:

Now, if you can get me specific instances, I'll be glad to check and see what I can do. I can tell you that for some songs I was working on for weekly shows in 1975, I've spliced in some full lengths where some shorter versions were used. The shorter versions in those cases cut from the middle and not the end so it made it easy ;-)

Hehe... usually I'm for preserving the shows the way they originally aired, blemishes and all, but there are a few cases where the engineers did such rotten chop jobs that I'd love to hear the real versions restored. Specifically in mid- to late 1987, when songs like "The Pleasure Principle", "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", and "I Want Your Sex" (among others) got butchered on certain weeks. When you remaster those shows you'll see what I mean.

Edited to add: Just had another goof in the 4-14-79 show, with some tracks out of order in the final half hour.

[jedijake]

They just skipped the #2 song on the latest 1979 countdown.

[mstgator]

Not skipped, but played in the wrong order. Casey told the story about Amii Stewart, then the show jumped ahead to Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" at #2, then went back to Amii's "Knock On Wood" at #3, before jumping back forward to #1.