What other shows do you listen to?

[shadster]

Hmmm You know I dont think I heard a year end survey from John Leader. So basically, @ #2, you'd hear a piece of every song from 100-2? I'm pretty sure Dick clark had taken the helm in '86.

[Karstens]

shadster said:

Hmmm You know I dont think I heard a year end survey from John Leader. So basically, @ #2, you'd hear a piece of every song from 100-2? I'm pretty sure Dick clark had taken the helm in '86.

I have the original vinyl of 1984 & John did a Top 84 of '84. I have a bumper stick from that show somewhere on a notebook in storage. Dick Clark took over from John Leader in 1985 with a CHR Top 40 until the show became just an AC show sometime in 1986, I believe as I have an AC for July 12, 1986, which is four hours but only a Top 30 for the week with lots of extras.

The last Top 40 CHR Countdown that I have is June 21, 1986. I don't know what happened between those dates or if Dick Clark serviced two versions of Countdown America as he did with the National Music Survey.

Countdown America with John Leader was a three hour show until January 7, 1984 when it added an hour. The earliest copy that I have from the John Leader is 5-7-83, this was the #19 show, so the show debuted the first week of 1983. They either did a year-end show or the first countdown of the year.

The date Dick Clark took over for John Leader was November 2, 1985. Thus, Dick went from National Music Survey on October 26, 1985 straight to Countdown America. Dick made no mention that he was leaving NMS on the last show. The only hint was the promos broadcasted about a Super Song special coming next week.

This special was a Top 30 show with cue sheets of the Top 100 in which stations could create own countdown for the first 70 songs between 1975-85. It was the first NMS show hosted by Bill St. James with Mike Love of the Beach Boys

[jedijake]

That makes sense. I discovered DC's NMS in September, 1983. The reason I liked it was that it had a slightly different perspective of songs from AT40. Songs like King of Pain by the Police hit #1. Also, songs had much quicker chart lives which made room for more songs hitting #1.

The show was dropped from the NY affiliate in 1985 and I was totally bummed. I was then able to pick it up on a station that didn't come in very well but was extremely pleased to find out that a station in Pittsfield, MA (where we had lived and still had a house on the lake) still had it. Finally, by 1986 we sold the house and DC's countdown was completely over.

John Leeder's countdown went on until around 1990. His countdown was rather different that year. I think it may have been a predecessor to the hot AC chart.

[jedijake]

To add to this, the year end medleys that John Leeder did were great ( I still have the 1984 one in great condition) but he added song-by-song narration starting in 1988.

At the end of the 1987 AT40 countdown, Casey did a number-one medley. That's what indicated that I could do a year-end medley. I have done one for 1988-1995.

[Karstens]

jedijake said:

That makes sense. I discovered DC's NMS in September, 1983. The reason I liked it was that it had a slightly different perspective of songs from AT40. Songs like King of Pain by the Police hit #1. Also, songs had much quicker chart lives which made room for more songs hitting #1.

The show was dropped from the NY affiliate in 1985 and I was totally bummed. I was then able to pick it up on a station that didn't come in very well but was extremely pleased to find out that a station in Pittsfield, MA (where we had lived and still had a house on the lake) still had it. Finally, by 1986 we sold the house and DC's countdown was completely over.

John Leeder's countdown went on until around 1990. His countdown was rather different that year. I think it may have been a predecessor to the hot AC chart.

This means that John Leader started his own show when Dick Clark took over Countdown America & it was on from '85-'90?

Wow, we are learning more about countdown shows.

DCNMS was a Cashbox show until 3-5-83 when it switched to R&R on 3-12-83 & what strange chart movements that week (10 new songs in the Top 30 alone).

[jedijake]

I think that Rick Dees used Cashbox in the very beginning as well. I am not sure when he switched over to R&R though. I discovered Dees in 1984.

I always found the R&R charts in the 80's to slightly more reflect what I heard on the radio-realizing much later on that the R&R chart was ONLY airplay.

[RNH]

For all of you pop music oldies fans but not fans of today's current oldies radio, I have a great show for you!

Check out WCIB, Cool 102, out of Cape Cod. On Saturday and Sunday nights is a specialty show called "The Class Reunion with Ron Dwyer." Dwyer just doesn't play the current crop of oldies you can hear on your local station, but mixes it with forgotten music that may have been out for only a few weeks. For example, he may play a number 1 hit, followed by a song which peaked at #86, and then followed by a song which hit #24! You get the idea!

Much of what Dwyer says is true. Some artists were only known for one hit, and it is the only song you will hear today. What about their support hits? When is the last time you heard "I'll Touch a Star" by Terry Stafford? Have you ever heard it? All you ever hear today is "Suspicion". Too many of today's radio stations are limited in their music choices. Dwyer's show is nearly unlimited! He enjoys "breathing new life" into music that has long since been forgotten!

Dywer plays it all, no matter the subformat: Doo-wop, English, instrumental, bubblegum, classic rock, early vocals, disco, soft rock, R+B, answer songs, local Boston groups (like Teddy and the Pandas), etc. EVERYTHING! And somehow he blends it all in a four-hour period!

Dwyer has two special features for each show. First, at around 9:40 he has his original vs. cover. Most of the time he will play the more popular cover first and then play the original version that likely no one knew! One week he played "Here Comes the Night" by Them and then play the original version by Lulu! (How many of you knew Lulu had the original version? I did not either!) At around 10:40 to the top of the hour, Dwyer plays four or five songs in his mix-and-match segment. Each week he picks a month and year from pop music's past and selects songs that you were listening to at that certain period.

Ron Dwyer is not unlike our favorite DJ used on this discussion board. However, Dwyer has more stories about the music than Casey himself, and he does not need notes or cue sheets to read them. They are all memorized!

Like Casey's shows, there are no interviews or silly sound bites. Just Ron and the music. I guess the only difference is there are no jingles; the station does not use them. "The Class Reunion" is not national. This is a local show that has been going on for over 10 years now! It is safe to assume it is popular with the Cape Cod folk!

All you haved to do is go to www.cool102.com and click on the listen live option. This service is free and (when working) very clear! "The Class Reunion" is on Saturday and Sunday nights from 8-12 midnight.

Check out this show! Let me and the others know what you think of it.

Also, do any of you know of great oldies shows like this one available on the internet? I am interested and would make the effort to listen.

RNH