Blast from Your Past

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Rock Radio SEPTEMBER 1972 Rockin’ the Sky

Notice! This site uses binary terms when referring to people. If you are offended by this statement, then please feel free to leave the site. I don’t want to offend anyone ... I simply think we should look at things rationally. (I could be asking too much of mere mortals).
In writing diverse articles, my topics rarely need to include a person’s sexual identification and frankly, I don’t care. To each their own. I believe everyone is a standup human ... until I learn otherwise. It matters not to me, if you’re LGBTQxxxxxyz, or while we’re at it, black, white, yellow, brown, red, calico, or an alien purple people eater .... if you’re a good “person,” you’re ok in my book.
You don’t need to agree with me, but I’ll respect your rights, if you respect mine.
(This post will remain at top of site for one month [09/25/22-to-10/25/22]. If you even give two shakes of a lamb’s tale [as my grandmother used to say], here is why I posted this message.)
So let’s get on Rockin' life ...

Walkin’, Rockin’ and Talkin’ to the Sky

September’s Blast from Your Past article is finally “finished.” It just seems to take me longer every month. If you read it before today (09/09/22), I hope you’ll give it another read ... discover more fun tidbits from 1972 and top hit song links to sing along with! It’s all happenin’ fun ... 50 Years Ago this Month!

♪ Then & Now Rockin’ News & Views
It’s no lie ... 1972 was crazy-wild with awesome tunes still viable today. We’re Speaking to the Sky on a Stairway to Heaven an’ lovin’ every second of it!

> SEPTEMBER 1972 Rockin’ News Then …
You might notice on the Featured Radio Survey page that for September 1972, 1) there’s a 2-fer! and 2) their lists of songs are almost nothing alike.
The East Coast nearly always had a head start on new music, so this month WFIL/Philadelphia’s chart has already shed much of what is listed on KERN/Bakersfield, California’s survey. What that means for you and me, is we’ll have twice as much fun exploring SEPTEMBER 1972 ...

Popular Philly DJ, Brother Love (aka Alan Smith) brought Rockin’ high energy to WFIL’s fans. Oh, and to Washington D.C.’s WRC folks and Baltimore’s WCAO! Occasionally, Rock Radio DJs want to do more than sit behind the mic and play the records—they want to make them! A few short years after this gig, Brother Love had fun creating the 1976 one-hit wonder, “Big Foot” by Bro Smith (cute mix of names).

September 2^nd: While Rod Stewart's second hit single "You Wear it Well," hit the #1 spot in the UK, it was still climbing in the US, albeit quickly. Up five spots from the previous week at WFIL/Philly, it took over at #22, but didn’t make the cut with KERN/Bakersfield, California, listeners.

September 20^th: Police discover cannabis growing on Paul & Linda McCartney's farm ... something tells me they weren’t concerned about the beetles.

September 24^th: Does anyone remember the ABC television series, In Concert? It was short-lived, leaving the air in 1975. However, music heavyweights like Alice Cooper, Curtis Mayfield and Bo Diddley headlined the first concert, taped on September 21^st at Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York.

Monthly Song of Note ♪
SEPTEMBER 1972 was a tough decision with two incredible radio charts to choose from! “Brandy”

by Looking Glass is interesting, down one on KERN’s chart at #9; and already down to #14 on WFIL. It’s an everyman and everywoman’s classic tale of unrequited love, with a harbor town setting and a captivating, sing-a-long tune. Read below to see another way “Brandy” makes its mark in history.
But it’s Rick Springfield’s cryptic debut song “Speak to the Sky” that beat it out as our Monthly Song of Note ♪. This time, the West Coast apparently picked up on it earlier than other stations. By the first week of September it was climbing KERN/Bakersfield’s chart at #22, while it didn’t even hit the bottom rung of WFIL’s survey until October 2^nd.
"Speak" was an uplifting tune for that year, as much needed then as now. Taking a break from daily reality is as good an idea today as 50 Years Ago ... have a chat with the Universe, or God, or whatever/whoever you hold in highest esteem ... ♪ Speak to the sky whenever things go wrong ... ♪

Quirky Band Names

The Main Ingredient is tellin’ ya “Everybody Plays the Fool” and just made bottom of the KERN chart at #30; it was already up to #16 on WFIL and destined for great popularity. Just have to wonder what the main ingredient to their success was ...
Family Cat with “Violence” sitting at #27 on KERN this month, but no place for it on WFIL. Little wonder, as a fairly thorough search yielded no information on the lyrics, its writers (*A. Mercier, Jr. and R. Marlin as noted on the record label), or the artist. Not even a dribble. Only a couple of *45’s available for sale in the usual places. Please feel free to share, if you know any of its provenance.
Raspberries with “Go All the Way” came in at #20 on WFIL – though we’re not privy to know how the name came about, they did some clever marketing. WIKI: “This 1st album [self-titled Raspberries] featured a strong scratch and sniff raspberry scented sticker on the front cover.” Sweet.

On Your Tinny Transistor Radio
SEPTEMBER 1972 ~ Two now-iconic tunes are standouts in the climb up the charts on this month’s radio surveys. Elvis’s* (hunka-hunka) “Burning Love” burned its way up WFIL’s chart to #12 so far, but it’s nowhere to be seen on KERN’s chart ... meanwhile, Bakersfield fans are ahead of the curve, lovin’ Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” It rose quickly, this week, jumping to #21. It didn’t even make a showing at WFIL until the October 10^th survey where it hit the ground running, leaping up to #16. Mind you, “Stairway” was officially released on November 8, 1971 ... wha’ happened?
Wellllll, apparently, their concerts came first, where the song was heard for most of 1971, before its official record release. Still, it took nearly another year to hit the radio charts, which in part, may have been due to the stations’ reluctance to play the lengthy song (7 minutes, 55 seconds). But more likely because it was only sold on albums. However, test pressings in 45rpm do exist in a short list on eBay, ranging from $100 to $1,000.

DJ Extraordinaire, Bill Gardner, tells a great story about Radio DJs and “Stairway.” “I was still in Seattle playing the hits 3-6PM on KING, the Big 11. My brother Al, (not yet a radio guy, but a film editor at a TV station in Philly), drove across America to visit me. Still learning radio, he asked, ‘What's that song that every jock plays as his sign-off song?’ I first thought, that can't be. There's no DJ ‘sign-off song.’ Then it hit me. Almost all the jocks would save ‘Stairway to Heaven’ as their last song of their show, thereby cutting out of the studio almost eight minutes early, and getting an early start home :-), rather than staying until the top of the hour. Ah, the halcyon days of LIVE radio guys on the air!”

> SEPTEMBER 2022 Rockin’ News Now …
It’s Classical Music Month! In case you want an official link, all we have is the PDF link to the government statute that put it on the calendar. And, I know we’re all about Rock & Roll here, but surely you’ve noticed the melting pot of the genre is thick with classical music influence ... we’re thinkin’ “It’s Now or Never” by Elvis* (1960); 1967’s “Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum, and the 1973 classic, “Could It Be Magic” by Barry Manilow—all based on Classical Music! Get out your ol’ turntable and enjoy.

September 18^th: Get your tablets and eyeglasses primed for Read An Ebook [sic] Day! Well isn’t this cool? Another day we can celebrate our founding books in shameless promotion! The hosting publisher link is just as unabashed as yours truly, obviously establishing the day for its authors. So take your pick – my Rockin’ Blast from Your Past books support this blog, while theirs is nameless and faceless. 😊 Either way, happy reading!

September 25^th: Don’t look now, it’s National One-Hit Wonder Day! Incredibly, there is no supporting link. And there’s only one tune from our 2-fer Featured Radio Surveys that seems to qualify for the distinction. Last month’s, “Motorcycle Mama,” by Sailcat, was a good’un. But our qualifier this month is all about unrequited love—always a trendy music topic—in “Brandy” by Looking Glass. Their brief fame might have been briefer if Washington D.C. DJ Harv Moore hadn’t championed the song and rallied fans around it. Who doesn’t know its catchy tune? ♪ She could feel the ocean fall and rise | She saw its ragin’ glory ... ♪

♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey
It’s an FRS 2-FER! Two great classic surveys to motivate your memory! September 4, 1972 ~ KERN/Bakersfield, California, and September 11, 1972 ~ WFIL/Philly ... KERN’s great ‘70s art and WFIL’s *Elvis image make them both special in my vintage music charts book. …take a wild and crazy trip down memory lane ... 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …

Let’s Celebrate SEPTEMBER 1972 and … Rock On! ♪

BFYP Book 1 (1954-1959) on Amazon
BFYP Book 2 (Swinging ‘60s) on Amazon
Blast from Your Past Gifts
Share your Oldies R&R fun on Twitter: @BlastFromPastBk

And dear readers, I just want you to know that I try my best to create an informative, aesthetically creative article for you each month. However, Blogger is not a professional hosting site—but they’re free through Google. So we’re stuck with their crummy platform that doesn’t work well to manipulate images with writing. Trust me, I’ve tried for years to write articles without gaps between paragraphs and even between sentences. Sigh. Maybe I’ll win the lottery and be able to afford a professional hosting site someday. Cheers!

LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. Two books (of three) are published in her Blast from Your Past series, available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!

Note: FYI – All links in the BFYP site are personally visited, verified, and vetted. Most are linked to commonly accessed sites of reputable note. Occasionally, since I often feature real people and/or singular sources there may be an unsecured link. As with everything cyber-security, use at your own discretion and risk. No compensation is received for any mentions of businesses, products, or other commercial interests. *All holiday and special event days are found at Brownielocks.com’s calendar site. Enjoy!

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Monday, August 1, 2022

Rock Radio AUGUST 1972 No Messin’ with Jim

Hey! Don’t Be Tuggin’ on Superman’s Cape!

Or go messin’ around with Jim ... didn’t your parents teach you manners? Heehee. I doubt “Miss Manners” extended her etiquette to meeting superheroes ... they live by a different code of ethics (which is often, their downfall). But this month at BFYP, we’re warning you not to mess around with Jim ... Croce, that is! Let’s get Rockin’ 50 Years Ago this Month ...

♪ Then & Now Rockin’ News & Views
The "dog days of summer" make a great time to reflect ... on the year so far ... the last few years ... or a lifetime of years. With that in mind, I want to pay tribute to a Blast from Your Past DJ friend, who I only recently learned, passed away in 2019.

William F. Williams knew how to have fun and always looked forward, which is why he was truly a pioneering disc jockey. Locking into radio as it began its upward Rockin’ climb in the mid-1950s, he was a vibrant man who took the proverbial bull by the horns in every situation he faced. I'm proud to say I knew him, and you can read some of his tantalizing tales as he romps through all three of BFYP's historical DJ decades.

1972 was William’s final year behind the mic, as he followed his passions of acting and screenwriting. At KPPC/Los Angeles, that was the year he interviewed a cast that performed nude on stage, in “The Dirtiest Show in Town.” His avant-garde sense of humor (and the little devil on his shoulder) urged him to interview them live, in the studio—nude. He thought they’d play along and get naked with him. They were not amused. Just one of many, many outrageous stories William lived, behind the mic of his pioneering DJ circuit.
As a tribute to William, and proof that I am still working on BFYP Book 3: The Psychedelic Seventies, read William F. William’s draft preview from the third and final book of the series. And then ...

> AUGUST 1972 Rockin’ News Then …
Comin’ at ya in cool shades of summer, Dave “the Rave” Parks is your dynamic DJ at WFIL “56”/Philadelphia, August 7, 1972. Another pioneer in Rock & Roll Radio, Dave and the other DJs who were there in 1966 when WFIL flipped to Top 40, propelled the station to star status and kept it there. Exciting personalities are what fans gravitated to—Dave made sure he brought them in.
      It’s been seven years since Dave “the Rave” passed into DJ Heaven—08/24/2015—which makes this month’s Featured Radio Survey especially poignant. He’s still missed in radio circles, says our resident DJ extraordinaire, Bill Gardner. [Image: Bill sent their fun reunion photo--he's front row-center and Dave starts out the 2nd row, first fella on right.]
      “Dave Parks was one of the wonderful guys who I worked with at WFIL. He was there in ‘68 when I worked there, as well. The last time I saw Dave was at something called "the Philly legends radio reunion" in 1996, hosted by program director Scott Walker, and on-air at WOGL-FM/Philadelphia. Me, in August '72? Still in my year-and-a-half stretch at KING/Seattle.”
      What else caught radio listeners’ attention in AUGUST 1972? Onward ...

August 5^th: It was this day that venerable Brits of The Moody Blues thought, why write a new song when we can simply re-issue an old one and rest on our laurels? They did just that and fared even better the second time around with 1967’s “Nights in White Satin.” It hit #10 on WFIL’s September 11^th survey and finally scrambled to #1 by October 9^th. Proving once again, recycling is a good thing. Just what the truth is | I can’t say anymore ... ♪

August 21^st: The summer wasn’t so hot for Grace Slick, of Jefferson Airplane, who some reports claim, was maced by police when a band official called cops, pigs. As usual, nothing is as simple as a misleading headline. Since it happened at a concert in Akron, Ohio, I’d like to think the Akron Beacon Journal set the record straight, describing the chaotic “war-like” concert happenings between fans, band, and police.
“Slick later said she merely lost her balance and tried to steady herself on an officer. Patrolman Robert E. Gott didn’t see it that way. In his arrest report, he said Slick ‘grabbed his whistle chain and deliberately ripped it from his uniform.’ He said she scratched his arm while swinging wildly to claw his face. Slick’s boyfriend Paul Kantner, 31, tried to intervene and got maced. The two were charged with assaulting an officer.” Which is nothing new for band members then or now!

> AUGUST 2022 Rockin’ News Now …
Now for this year’s hot summer Rockin’ news. Read on for a hunka-hunka burnin’ love, for book lovers, vinyl record fans, and if you’re “of a certain age,” pat yourself on the back—you made it this far!

August 9^th: Bibliophiles unite—it’s Book Lovers Day! According to Wiki the official title is National Book Lovers Day, but let’s not nitpick the semantics. Although shameless self-promotion is not new for me—after all, Blast from Your Past books founded this site—I can’t exactly ignore today! If you’re reading this blog, you obviously love old music, old radio, and new takes on old history. Have you read any good books on them yet?

Blast from Your Past books about Rock & Roll Radio DJs of yesteryear, pay tribute to the often-raucous personalities who created a ruckus behind the microphone of some of your favorite pioneering Rock Radio stations. If you haven’t already read them, Book 1 The First Five Years (1954-1959) and Book 2 The Swinging Sixties are available on Amazon (Book 1 in eBook only, at the moment). Get them both and make a day of it!

August 9^th- 16^th: Are you making your annual pilgrimage to Graceland for Elvis Week? Whether in person, online, or only in your memories, enjoy the best of Elvis. Arizona Central newspaper republished a cool article that appeared in July’s USA Today (by esteemed music critic Jerry Shriver) that links practically all music genre with Elvis’s uncanny ability to sing each not just good, but masterfully. “... when assessing the more than 750 songs Elvis recorded, it's more useful to appreciate his mastery of multiple styles rather than quibble over whether "How Great Thou Art" was, well, greater than "Hound Dog." Enjoy ...

August 12^th: Let’s go spinning ‘round and ‘round and ‘round on Vinyl Record Day! Unbelievably, this day has no official sponsor, either. There are a couple Record Store Days on the calendars (April, June and July) with retail sponsor links (of course), but none just for vinyl records. Let’s face it—they are the granddaddies of music media, especially Rock & Roll!
How many vintage vinyl records do you own? Bet you can name your top five vinyl records off the top of your head, regardless of how long it’s been since you set them spinning on a turntable. Do it again and watch the black vinyl roll around, as you feign karaoke night in your living room!
Want to know where to buy more of the shiny black music disks (and in rare form, colors) in your neighborhood? Check out Vinyl Times’ website for a long list of nationwide stores and their vinyl record shows throughout the year. Ray K, the site’s owner knows his stuff, as a former Radio Jock and club DJ. It was second nature for him to begin collecting back in the day ... and now, he wants to make his wife happy. He’s selling his 30,000+ vinyl record collection ... have fun!

August 17^th: I’m OK with most of my readers who (like me) can enjoy musical memories of the 1950s,’60s and ‘70s. Besides Oldies Rock & Roll, we share today’s special Baby Boomer's Recognition Day! The link’s reference site is stuck in 2019 ... by the time August rolled around in 2020, the world had stopped ... and for some websites, it’s been slow to get kickstarted again. But we’re still here, kickin’ up our heels—if only from our chairs. 😊
Although a tad off-subject, many people ask, what’s the big deal about where to place an apostrophe? What a difference a day makes ... another Baby Boomers Recognition Day (sans apostrophe) is also listed on my fave calendar site as June 1^st. So take your pick and enjoy your day!

♪ On Your Tinny Transistor Radio
AUGUST 1972 ~ WFIL/Philly’s August 7, 1972 survey shared a cigarette-smoking Jim Croce picture next to his #7 song climbing the radio charts. Sadly, at the zenith of his career, Croce perished a year later in a plane crash. The day set Croce’s two-year-old son, A.J., on a heartbreaking path that today, has led him finally, to his father’s music. CBS News’ June 2022 article tells A.J.’s poignant story as we delve into his famous dad’s pinnacle of success ...

Monthly Song of Note ♪
Great tune for the middle of summer, as heat waves flare tempers across our great nation. At #7 on this month’s Featured Radio Survey, “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim” offers a couple of tough life lessons!
You don't tug on Superman's cape | You don't spit into the wind | You don't pull the mask off that ol' Lone Ranger | And you don't mess around with Jim. However, like many things in life, a situation may not be all it seems ... and according to the song’s lyrics, Jim soon found himself outwitted by “Slim.” In my interpretation, its lesson also reminds us, violence is never the answer ...
It wouldn't be Croce's only song about a tough guy who got his comeuppance ... we hear it again in Spring 1973's top tune, “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.” Although you might think they’re self-reflection, like many writers, he reportedly based the tune’s bad guys on life acquaintances.

Quirky Band Names
At #11 on WFIL’s survey, it isn’t surprising that an off-the-wall song title like “Motorcycle Mama” came from an oddball band named Sailcat. Little is known about them beyond a Wiki account of the essentially one-hit-wonder artists. The short-lived southern pop/rock group was apparently made up of some members who would later go on to greater prominence—just not together.
      The Crusaders on the other hand, simply changed their name from the Jazz Crusaders and added popular music to their repertoire, to find themselves at #20 with catchy instrumental, “Put It Where You Want It.” By the late 1970s, they had gone full circle, back to jazz funk.
      But the O’Jays have a story we love to share! Scraping the bottom of the survey at #30, their “Back Stabber(s)” came complete with choreographed dancing reminiscent of the late 1950s—great moves! The surveys list the song singular, but the official title is plural—yep there’s definitely more than one. It climbed up the chart to #4 by September 11^th. Best part? They paid tribute to Cleveland Radio Disc Jockey, Eddie O’Jay with their group name! (These days, they’d be sued for it!)

♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey
AUGUST 7, 1972 ~ WFIL/Philadelphia, was already looking back at the “WFIL Solid Gold” Rock & Roll of a year earlier in a Top Five song list from August 1971. Tommy James’ “Draggin’ the Line” took #1 spot. Another week topping the Top Thirty: Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again” … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …

Let’s Celebrate AUGUST 1972 and … Rock On! ♪