'60s Songs You Don't Hear Anymore for Obvious Reasons...

[Kent Dorsey]

A couple of years ago when I did an Sunday night oldies show on a small AM station, I used play "What the World Needs Now/Abraham, Martin, & John" by Tom Clay and almost always got calls for it the next week...

When I was doing all nights on an FM station eons ago, the AM country morning sign on man overslept atleast once a month. I would sign on, put on Charley McClain's "Sleeping With The Radio On..." and call him (off the air) and threaten to play the entire Red Sovine catalog until he got in...he would beg me not to, and not to play The Browns "The Three Bells" before he got there... which, ofcourse was the next 45 on the Russco after Charley McClain...

[jfrancispastirchak]

A couple of years ago when I did an Sunday night oldies show on a small AM station, I used play "What the World Needs Now/Abraham, Martin, & John" by Tom Clay and almost always got calls for it the next week...

When I was doing all nights on an FM station eons ago, the AM country morning sign on man overslept atleast once a month. I would sign on, put on Charley McClain's "Sleeping With The Radio On..." and call him (off the air) and threaten to play the entire Red Sovine catalog until he got in...he would beg me not to, and not to play The Browns "The Three Bells" before he got there... which, ofcourse was the next 45 on the Russco after Charley McClain...

Now those are what I call funny memories!  You should write a book!

[cyberdad]

Here's one I actually did hear that shouldn't have been aired...EVER! 
Jimmy Loves Mary Ann by Looking Glass......AWFUL!

I had forgotten about that one.  Agree...it was pretty awful. 

Another terrible follow-up to a hugely successful single was Nino Tempo and April Stevens' "Baby Weemus".  This duo did lots of excellent covers of 30s and 40s pop tunes (primarily as album tracks), but for some reason "Weemus" was trotted after "Whispering" faltered as a follow-up to "Deep Purple".  Painfully bad.

[stevations]

Good topic.....everyone has a valid point of view....I don't agree with some of the opinions of certain songs.....but where did radio start to go down the wrong road leading to a dead end?   Here is what I heard....in the early 80s radio researchers put random people in a room, played various oldies, asked them; do you know the song, who is the artist, do you like the song?  The problem was these people were not neccesarily oldies fans or radio listeners, just people.  So there were people who gave their opinions that were not even potential listeners of the oldies stations.   This eliminated hearing one hit wonders and follow up hits by artists....with tight oldies playlists on radio.
I was told by a radio programmer that the average person listens to radio 20 minutes a day so you have to play the very recognizable songs or your ratings and advertising will suffer and that is why most radio stations keep playing the big songs that everyone knows.  That is why I started to collect vinyl records and vintage airchecks.  Barry Scott had a Lost 45s show and I listen to 4kz in Australia on Saturday evenings when they have their Sunday Gold show with Greg Vuleta (4pm to 10pm EDT Saturdays)  Australia has some good stations, even on the AM band.

[CTListener]

Good topic.....everyone has a valid point of view....I don't agree with some of the opinions of certain songs.....but where did radio start to go down the wrong road leading to a dead end?   Here is what I heard....in the early 80s radio researchers put random people in a room, played various oldies, asked them; do you know the song, who is the artist, do you like the song?  The problem was these people were not neccesarily oldies fans or radio listeners, just people. 

Classic hits/oldies stations aren't programmed for oldies fans anymore. They're not even programmed specifically for people who remember the songs as current hits. What they're looking for is songs that won't cause too many people to switch stations, and that includes songs that work well in an office or waiting-room setting where a supervisor or a doctor controls the radio. What sets them apart from mainstream AC stations is that just about all the music has to be at least 25 years old, so what's desired is older songs that still do well with people in the lower end of 25-54. There are increasingly fewer '60s and early '70s songs that fit that description.

When's the last time you heard anything by Pet Clark besides "Downtown," anything by the Rascals besides "Good Lovin'," anything by Tommy James besides "Mony Mony"? Ten years ago, "My Love," "I've Been Lonely Too Long" and "Crystal Blue Persuasion" worked on oldies radio. With '80s and late '70s songs occupying a greater percentage of the music slots at classic hits radio, there's no longer room for those secondary and tertiary titles.

[landtuna]

What they're looking for is songs that won't cause too many people to switch stations, and that includes songs that work well in an office or waiting-room setting where a supervisor or a doctor controls the radio.

I sure don't know about that.  I have never heard an Oldies station playing in a doctors office or other "quiet" waiting area.  Most times it is AC (MOR) or non-nondescript instrumental.  Places where Oldies rule are drive-in's, home improvement stores and casual dining restaurants.

What sets them apart from mainstream AC stations is that just about all the music has to be at least 25 years old, so what's desired is older songs that still do well with people in the lower end of 25-54.

Wait! The math doesn't work here.  A 25-year old song is a song that most 25-year old's haven't heard and probably wouldn't like (according to resident experts although I find plenty of exceptions to that).  If you want people to like Oldies the age range is more like 50+.
 

When's the last time you heard anything by Pet Clark besides "Downtown,"

Never.  She's pretty much a one-hit wonder and that particular song is 45+ years old.

anything by the Rascals besides "Good Lovin'," anything by Tommy James besides "Mony Mony"? Ten years ago, "My Love," "I've Been Lonely Too Long" and "Crystal Blue Persuasion" worked on oldies radio. With '80s and late '70s songs occupying a greater percentage of the music slots at classic hits radio, there's no longer room for those secondary and tertiary titles.

Wait!  Were we talking about Oldies or Classic Hits?  British Invasion music would be Oldies.  I wouldn't expect to hear it on a CH playlist (although it would be OK by me if it did).

[cyberdad]

She's pretty much a one-hit wonder

Per Billboard's Hot 100 charts, Clark had five other top ten hits in the U.S., for a total of six.  Four of those made the top five, and one of those also got to number one ("My Love").  By comparison, two of her better known contemporary acts....The Byrds and the Mamas & Papas....reached the top ten twice and six times respectively.  Both Byrds top ten singles went all the way to #1. ("Mr. Tambourine Man", & "Turn, Turn, Turn"). Mamas & Papas had one #1 ("Monday Monday").

I'm not arguing talent, which has better stood the test of time, which fits whatever format better, etc.  Just stating the facts (as reported via Wikipedia).

[deltas69]

In a random fit of shameless self promotion (always looking for just ..one..more..listener)...I offer my humble web page...self explanatory and all about the music,not me..even a few members here have been complementary....     http://chucklundi.com/default.aspx                 Chuck Lundi's Rock Box.."It's not the Same Old  Song"

[landtuna]

Per Billboard's Hot 100 charts, Clark had five other top ten hits in the U.S., for a total of six. 

I wonder if those other songs were played on Top-40 outlets then.  I was in Japan when "Downtown" was popular but returning to the Bay Area in '66 I can't remember ever hearing it or the others.

[Tom Wells]

Good topic.....everyone has a valid point of view....I don't agree with some of the opinions of certain songs.....but where did radio start to go down the wrong road leading to a dead end?   Here is what I heard....in the early 80s radio researchers put random people in a room, played various oldies, asked them; do you know the song, who is the artist, do you like the song?  The problem was these people were not neccesarily oldies fans or radio listeners, just people.  So there were people who gave their opinions that were not even potential listeners of the oldies stations.   This eliminated hearing one hit wonders and follow up hits by artists....with tight oldies playlists on radio.
I was told by a radio programmer that the average person listens to radio 20 minutes a day so you have to play the very recognizable songs or your ratings and advertising will suffer and that is why most radio stations keep playing the big songs that everyone knows.  That is why I started to collect vinyl records and vintage airchecks.  Barry Scott had a Lost 45s show and I listen to 4kz in Australia on Saturday evenings when they have their Sunday Gold show with Greg Vuleta (4pm to 10pm EDT Saturdays)  Australia has some good stations, even on the AM band.

Give the man a cigar or any other prize on the shelf.

That's the very center of the reason why format-ized radio becomes stale.

It's far more exciting and rewarding to program to those who are vitally interesed in the music, (if yo're a music station).

There's very little reward in programming to those who value small outlooks, expectations and have limited attention spans.

Can't run wearing hobbles.