AT40: The 70s ... This Week's Show

[Shannon Lynn]

redsox said:

What is a nastygram?

LOL...nastygrams in this case are emails letting me know how I butchered this week's show with the stereo inserts. As I said, that is not how the show was when I did it and I did not put any stereo in. I'm sure either someone thought it was a good idea or was not aware the show was in mono during this period.

Converting a show from mono to stereo is not a bad thing if you do it right. I listened to a couple of cuts and it sounded like a pseudo-stereo type of filter/effect had been applied giving an overall warbly/echo-like texture.

On the other hand, mono, when done right, can be an absolutely fabulous listening experience. If I recall correctly, George Martin took many months to mix the mono version of Sgt. Peppers for the Beatles. Martin was not involved in the stereo process which took a matter of days. If you have never heard the mono version, you haven't heard this landmark LP!!

Recently I was fortunate enough to have access to original AT40 masters from 1971, 1978, 1982, 1984 and 1987. Hearing what the engineers heard and put together has given me a new benchmark to hit. I thought what I had been putting together was good. However, from what I have learned using these benchmarks, more research into RIAA curves, tape to LP stamping/masters and the like, I have master shows to a new level. The before and after makes previous efforts sound like AM-Radio to me now LOL. The good news is anything I had already done previously is easily corrected with 3 passes of filtering and EQ based on the year of production.

[Scott Lakefield]

This weekend's (12/22-23/07) edition of "AT40: The 80s" will feature a rebroadcast of part one of the top 100 of 1978.

Now, how they're going to fit this into three hours is a good question...and one I don't know the answer to.

[pzimm7700]

Wasnt the idea behind the 70's show that it could be 3 or 4 hours long depending on the show?

It could also be that this, like the old AT40 FB shows will send a 4 hour show as opposed to the regular 3. I remember the second half of the 1986 show they ran was 4 hours in length.

[at40petebattistini]

Regarding the Top 100 of 1978, it's possible that the program can be edited (stories removed, songs trimmed) in order to fit into six hours instead of eight. It's also possible that Premiere has requested stations provide added program time for this 8-hour, year-end special. With extra program time comes the potential for more advertising revenue.

In reference to Shannon's comments, I'm probably as much of an AT40 purist as anyone. I appreciate the show in its original form. However, I'm enjoying hearing an originally mono program with stereo cuts. It's painful sometimes to listen to a program with occasional nicks and pops from vinyl -- either an LP copy of a show or a lower-grade record originally used in a program. So I'm not opposed to updating a mono program by mixing in stereo tracks. In fact, it's somewhat refreshing to listen that way. And if that's what it takes for us to hear the old programs on the air again, so be it.

So who's sending "nastygrams" to Shannon? I don't know. Perhaps we'll see someone's concern(s) posted here.

[pzimm7700]

Sometimes the level of childishness exhibited by some (including me) amazes me. Someone is actually sending nasty emails to Shannon because a song is in STEREO? I have never heard the 70's broadcast radio show, but I would assume Ed McMann intro's it the same way he does or did the 80's show. I would also guess there are 3 extras in the show, same way there are 4 on the 80's show. That wouldn't be a clue that this is the 70's show updated to 2007 radio standards?

[dadetim]

i am new to this board and a fan of AT40. is it for sure that AT40 (the 70's) will replay the 1st half of 1978's year end countdown? i hope that premiere doesn't butcher up the show to make it 3 hours like they did with the last '78 featured show. i didn't know that foxy's "get off" was 1:15 minutes long.

[at40petebattistini]

If you utilize Shannon Lynn's cue sheet web site to follow the AT40 replays from the 70s and 80s, you may have noticed a recent error.

The cue sheets that accompanied the 12-18-71 program listed an extra song featured as an LP extra. The #1 LP that week was Sly & The Family Stone's "There's A Riot Goin' On" and, from the album, Casey played a song called "Space Cowboy." But the cue sheets erroneously listed "Runnin' Away" (a future Top 40 hit) as the track played. Fortunately, Premiere edited out "Space Cowboy," in my opinion, a really bad song. How a yodeling Sly Stone ever made it to the LP in the first place is beyond me, not to mention gaining a place as an AT40 extra. "Spaced Cowboy" would've been a more appropriate title.

By the way, I hope to get most of the remaining cue sheets for 1972 to Shannon in the next couple of weeks. And if you've got any to share, please contact Shannon. Thanks!

[RNH]

This past weekend's show was one of two that were played earlier in the year before Premiere acquired the shows when KQQL in Minneapolis was the lone source for AT40 the '70s. The other was September 26, 1978.

Anyway, while "Spaced Cowboy" was edited out (understandable, I guess), is there a logical reason "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys was edited out as an AT40 special?

I love McMann's classic extras, but leave the countdown as is!

[Shannon Lynn]

This weekend was the first time I had actually listened to the "Premiere-ized" version of the 70's shows. You mentioned KQQL ran the 12-18-71 show almost a year ago. I wonder if it had stereo edits? I'd be surprised...but it may have. I began digging others out and it goes back at least a couple of months.

As far as why "Good Vibrations" was edited out, I can only assume it's because they don't want 60's music playing on 70's stations. If you listen to the 80's shows, all of the "Archive Extras" are all pulled for the same reason.

One other person had asked about running a 4-hr program in a 3-hr slot, i.e. 10-7-78 thru 1979 and any year end program. Honestly, I don't know how that will be handled. I do know that 10-14-78 had 8 or 9 cuts removed to make it fit in 3 hours. I don't believe any 1979 shows have aired. So, it will be interesting to see how the first 50 of 1978 develop.

From reading that, it appears the original plan of running the 1973 Christmas show and Top 50 of 1974 and 30th Anniversary of the Top 50 of 1977 was scrapped for the Top 100 of 1978?

The 80's was originally slated for the 25th anniversary of 1982 with the Top 50 and 20th anniv of Top 50 of 1987. Looks like that will simply be the Top 100 of 1984 now.

rnh said:

This past weekend's show was one of two that were played earlier in the year before Premiere acquired the shows when KQQL in Minneapolis was the lone source for AT40 the '70s. The other was September 26, 1978.

Anyway, while "Spaced Cowboy" was edited out (understandable, I guess), is there a logical reason "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys was edited out as an AT40 special?

I love McMann's classic extras, but leave the countdown as is!

[Scott Lakefield]

Gang...all I can tell you for sure right now is that the 70s show for this weekend, the first half of the top 100 of 1978, is THREE hours, and all 50 songs are listed on the cues. My guess is that these songs have been shortened even more than the originally were to fit them into a four-hour show.

[best71]

Here's just another remark in the "case of the missing extras" on 12/18/71 ;-)
As far as I know, the removed "Spaced Cowboy" by Sly & tFS should have been played between #7 and #6. If you listen carefully, after #8, Casey announces the following, "in the next 5 min. on AT 40, a song from the album that just moved into the #1 spot on the LP chart". Now, there's some editing. Whatever the reason for it, one would expect it to be done more thoroughly, right?

And - in response to Shannon Lynn's post - in the show on 12/13/80 none of the 3 archive extras (#1 songs of the 60s) were removed. How this was handled on other 80s shows I don't know. But I would suppose that time is a more compelling factor for editing preferences. Isn't it a fact that the net run time for an AT 40 hour has gradually decreased over the years to make room for more commercials to be played?

I am as curious as anybody about how the Top 100 of 1978 will look - or rather, sound - like in the 3-h-slot. Some editing seems to be inevitable, and - unfortunately - already the first song played will point the way: "Deacon Blues" by Steely Dan ran almost 6 min. on the original show. How much shall we give it this time? ;-)))

Anyway, happy holidays to all of you!

[tacomalo]

rnh said:

This past weekend's show was one of two that were played earlier in the year before Premiere acquired the shows when KQQL in Minneapolis was the lone source for AT40 the '70s. The other was September 26, 1978.

Anyway, while "Spaced Cowboy" was edited out (understandable, I guess), is there a logical reason "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys was edited out as an AT40 special?

I love McMann's classic extras, but leave the countdown as is!

Does anyone have a list of all the shows that Premiere has broadcast on AT40 the 70s?

[am1143]

best71 said:

I am as curious as anybody about how the Top 100 of 1978 will look - or rather, sound - like in the 3-h-slot. Some editing seems to be inevitable, and - unfortunately - already the first song played will point the way: "Deacon Blues" by Steely Dan ran almost 6 min. on the original show. How much shall we give it this time? ;-)))

For those interested:
The outro of the song started at 2:56 into the show, cutting it down to 2:04 minutes.

[dadetim]

"ebony eyes" by bob welsh clocked in at about :35 seconds

[domino5s]

I woke up this morning at 8:45 AM (like every Sunday) to catch Casey. I figured I would skip recording this morning's show since I already got it from XM a while back. And I figured that putting a 4 hour show into a 3 hour format would result in some horrible edits--which other posters have already confirmed. I listen to Casey on Sunday mornings, 9 - 12 on KXKL Denver.

Anyway, when I turned on the radio, they were already at #93. So apparently they started at 8 AM. Fans be aware--there was no warning. It may be too late for some, but for those in other cities that listen to Casey on Sundays, you might want to tune in an hour early.