Is "Radar Love" right for CBS-FM?

[lalumia]

here's a post of mine from an industry message board on this subject

the fact is that "Radar Love" was a HUGE hit on 77 WABC back in the day,so Sniffen will just have to get over it...
CBS FM plays "Bang A Gong" by T.Rex, and they should be playing Bowie's "Space Oddity" as well(his one glitter era hit to break through at US Top 40/WABC, with some physical help from a well known Mainman employee at the time)...
I've also heard "Little Willie" by Sweet on CBS FM,and hopefully they're playing Cooper's "School's Out" and Gary Glitter's "Rock& Roll Part 2"...all the glam ole days....
  as it appears on "The Velvet Rope"

[disney fanatic]

Before this discussion gets to the same backbiting level as it did on Herr Doktor's board, let's remember that
 
a.  WCBS-FM is not an "oldies" station, it is a classic hits station

b.  The record in question Golden Earring's "Radar Love" was played (from vinyl) during Turntable Tuesday as a special song.  It is not in any regular rotation.  Neither is the Brenda Lee song "Coming On Strong" (that is referenced within the "Radar Love").

As to Mr. Doll's complaint of the station playing is Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" and Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", you have probably not figured out that 'CBS-FM ain't "New York's Oldies Station" these days.

Nice catch on this thread. If you're living the Hudson Valley area, WBPM's "Classic Hits 92.9" has the same exact song "Radar Love", but they play more mainstream that WBPM plays right now. Look at WBPM's playlist which is on this link. This was the playlist that WBPM plays as of 10/30.

http://www.wbpmfm.com/played.php?pickdate=2007-10-30

I guess CBS-FM needs to add more mainstream rock to make it a classic hits station like WBPM is doing right now.

[lalumia]

Radar Love was not mainstream rock, it was a NYC Top 40 smash hit single/45 RPM record whose sales forced it onto Music Radio 77 WABC,which is what CBS FM should be reflecting/paying homage to....the same applies to the previously mentioned "Bang a Gong","Space Oddity", etc

[GeorgeJ.]

It seems as if Jack hasn't totally left the building.....could part of the CBS-FM programming plan be to try and keep some of the Jack FM listeners by throwing in a "Jack" song every once in  a while?

If I'm scanning up the FM dial and come across Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Radar Love, etc., my first thought is that I've come across a Jack station....

[StephanieNYC]

"Radar Love", the 45 edit, is fine.  "Family Of Man"  What is he sniffin?  I actually had to go back and refresh myself with that song and remember how forgetable is it.  With all the Three Dog Night records out there, you pick that?

Cuz it's catchy. 

 I just saw a cover of it done on Youtube.com by another harmony group and I was grooving along to it.  I'd certainly play it if I had the 45 handy...but then again, I was never one to follow playlists or formats.     

[BRNout]

"Family of Man" is one of many underplayed hits by Three Dog Night and I agree with Stephanie - it's catchy!   

Another is "Eli's Coming" - I was cranking that one up last week in Chicago as WZZN 94.7 was playing it out there.

Actually, if you live far enough east on LI to pick up WDRC-FM, you'll note that "Family of Man" is on their playlist.  So, it is not some unheard of moldy oldie....but it doesn't get on the playlists of most oldies/classic hits stations that program 300 songs or less. 

[lalumia]

they should also work in some of the post-Ross Supremes classics(with Jean Terrell) that were Top ten monsters in NYC like "Up The Ladder To The Roof", "Stone Love",the duet with the Four Tops on "River Deep Mountain High" and "Nathan Jones";NY 70s age group members would flip over hearing these tracks, which, in the current R&B market, sound very contemporary in a way

[BRNout]

they should also work in some of the post-Ross Supremes classics(with Jean Terrell) that were Top ten monsters in NYC like "Up The Ladder To The Roof", "Stone Love",the duet with the Four Tops on "River Deep Mountain High" and "Nathan Jones";NY 70s age group members would flip over hearing these tracks, which, in the current R&B market, sound very contemporary in a way

You're right!  Those are all great songs! 

In particular, "Nathan Jones" and "Up the Ladder to the Roof" hardly ever get airplay (anywhere) and would really sound great.  So would the long version of "Stone Love" - which isn't heard nearly often enough. 

One big problem with oldies/classic hits stations is that they play too many of the same songs all the time.  Why not mix in a few "new" oldies now and then?  Particularly when they're really upbeat, high-quality, songs from time-tested musical groups....

After all, just how often can we stomach hearing "Build Me Up Buttercup" and "Take it Easy"?

[wgliradio]

Cuz it's catchy. 

 I just saw a cover of it done on Youtube.com by another harmony group and I was grooving along to it.  I'd certainly play it if I had the 45 handy...but then again, I was never one to follow playlists or formats.     

But it's not a highly recognizable tune, when you consider the other Three Dog records out there 

[StephanieNYC]

But it's not a highly recognizable tune, when you consider the other Three Dog records out there 

True, but I was thinking that  probably its catchiness would make listeners say, "Hey, that's a cool tune I've never heard before.  Who sings that? Three Dog Night? Cool!"