Top 3 recap

[mycool44]

Anyone know the first date AT40 stopped recapping the entire top 3? And when I say recapping, I mean playing all 3 songs.

[at40petebattistini]

I can't claim to be the expert for this time period but, in an effort to move the request along, I'll stick my neck out on this one and take a guess. I spotchecked shows from the early to mid-80s and discovered by early 1985, playing just the #1 record at the beginning of a show became a dying practice. I found that Charlie Van Dyke played the #1 song on January 5, 1985, Casey played it at the beginning of the February 2, 1985 show and, I believe for the last time, at the beginning of the March 16, 1985 program. I'm sure someone will let us know if I offered an incorrect date.

[mstgator]

And to take it one step further, I believe that the first week that AT40 stopped playing all three songs was February 14, 1981. That week Casey mentioned the previous week's Top Three, but only played #1 (due to time issues). For most of the rest of 1981, Casey generally only played the previous week's Top Two or #1 song. After the Archive feature ended late that year, the time was available again to play the entire Top Three (with some exceptions).

[mycool44]

Something else that's interesting: I'm listening to the first weekly show from 1981 and instead of re-capping the top 3 songs from before the holidays, Casey is re-capping the top 3 from the entire year 1980. Cool little surprise.

[mstgator]

mycool44 said:

Something else that's interesting: I'm listening to the first weekly show from 1981 and instead of re-capping the top 3 songs from before the holidays, Casey is re-capping the top 3 from the entire year 1980. Cool little surprise.

Yep... happened only one other time that I know of. Check out the first weekly show of 1988, when guest host Charlie Van Dyke leads off the countdown by playing "Walk Like An Egyptian", the #1 song of 1987.