Editing on American Top 40/Casey's Top 40...and LOOPING!

[secretman]

AT40 08-31-1985, i´m missing the “theme and opening of part III”, that´s to say, the beginning of Hour 3, just before the #20 jingle.

[Jessica]

Just heard an edit during the Pat Benatar song "Invincible"

[davewollenberg]

On the 10-3-81 show, 'Urgent's' 2nd verse was removed.

[laura]

On the subject of edits in general, some of the later CT40 episodes' edits of certain songs got old quick. A lot of the songs I enjoyed got cut while the others I didn't really like were kept in tact.

Then for the modern AT40s, some of the looping just got out of hand, especially during the first year or so of shows. I think they would have just played an extra or something if they wanted to fill time.

[matt]

Oct 4, 2014 8:22:09 GMT -5 davewollenberg said:

On the 10-3-81 show, 'Urgent's' 2nd verse was removed.

Yes it did--that's a song that seems to get edited more often than not. As I've said before, I understand the need to edit songs, but it does get annoying when they pick on the same ones most of the time.

One edit that I didn't mind at all was Air Supply's "All Out Of Love" on the 9/13/80 show--no need for me to ever hear that song in full. Seems like Air Supply is one act they tend to leave alone--wish they would pick on their songs more.

[BrettVW]

Oct 8, 2014 23:43:14 GMT -5 laura said:

On the subject of edits in general, some of the later CT40 episodes' edits of certain songs got old quick. A lot of the songs I enjoyed got cut while the others I didn't really like were kept in tact.

Then for the modern AT40s, some of the looping just got out of hand, especially during the first year or so of shows. I think they would have just played an extra or something if they wanted to fill time.

I never understood why they looped and then edited in the same show sometimes. They could not break the formula of 10 countdown songs an hour and 3 LDD's no matter how much editing and looping they had to do. I will never understand where the creativity went

[pointpark04]

As I have recently become the proud owner of some second-run AT40 shows, I have come to know and understand this "looping" phenomenon. Man, it's awful and annoying. In other words, awfully annoying.

The creativity really was lacking on the modern AT40s. Oddly, I hate to say it, but I even find Casey's chuckling/laughing when reciting stories about artists and/or songs kind of disingenuous. It's as though he was trying to sell us something that need not have been sold.

[mkarns]

Well, there's at least one improvement that took place during the Ryan Seacrest era. No more "looping"; instead lots more extras and more talk, which can be annoying but at least they're not messing with the actual songs in the process.

However, while songs aren't artificially lengthened nowadays, many are still shortened, often to make room for extras which, unlike with Casey or Shadoe's shows, there usually isn't a particularly interesting story behind them. Then again, no more tearjerking LDD's/R&Ds, either.

[pointpark04]

More like "No more fast-forwarding through LDDs/R&Ds, either" mkarns. I'm on record as never liking LDDs/R&Ds, extras, or any other filler songs that were used too frequently in countdowns. Just play the Top 40, please. The full songs. With or without stories. Why was that so difficult to achieve?

[BrettVW]

I agree that there was a sense of that everything was artificial. On the first run of AT40, Casey's reactions and ad libs and chuckles seemed genuine. On the WW1 and Premiere shows I feel like :chuckle: was in the script.

I never cared for dedications either, although again the early years occasionally brought a fun letter with a good song.

I like the regular extras, not as many as Ryan plays now, but one or two with a good Casey story is good.

One thing I never understood on AT20 was that so many of Casey's weekly stories were the hourly "AT20 extra" rather than songs currently charting

[mkarns]

Oct 9, 2014 11:45:38 GMT -5 BrettVW said:

I agree that there was a sense of that everything was artificial. On the first run of AT40, Casey's reactions and ad libs and chuckles seemed genuine. On the WW1 and Premiere shows I feel like :chuckle: was in the script.

Casey often would quote lines from songs when outroing them. At least during the initial run of AT40 always sounded genuine, not scripted when doing so; I wonder if this was in fact scripted by the 1980s or later, when from what I've read he was less personally familiar with the songs.

[BrettVW]

Rob's book outlines that during the original run of the show his pick ups starting and ending segments were adlibbed, but for WW1 and AMFM/Premiere every word that he said it was scripted.

I would also like to know which guest hosts were scripted word for word and who had a little play. We all know the David Perry story and Pete's 80s book even makes mention of a guest host, I can't recall which one, who was not allowed to deviate from the script.

But I always wondered if those little quips from Charlie Van Dyke were created on the spot or if they were written for him. And the Mike Kasem shows at the end definitely "broke" from reading a script written for Casey. Even some of the last Ed McMann shows in the earlier part of the decade bring out a one liner here and there.

2003/2004 seemed to be the time where things loosened up just a tad with late 04/05 being with things seemed to change for the better in terms of the formulaic aspects of the show.

[laura]

^ I figured much. I got tired of the same phrases used for a song moving up or down the chart or if it's holding its position. It got to the point that I would just skip through the talk breaks to get the song, which is too bad.

[BrettVW]

Can't say I have ever skipped over a talkbreak regardless of host, guest host, etc. If I just wanted to hear the music I wouldn't listen to AT40

[laura]

^It's mainly more for the modern ones. The older ones, on the other hand, I could listen to without getting bored. They were way more creative than the other ones.