Someone was awfully busy with a blade. Only problem is, I’m not sure who. In fact, though I’ve called this the “R&R Radio Rewind”, I’m not sure what it really is. Somebody “out there” will know its true origin.
This was given to me in the mid-70’s by Ken Wilson, who was then a year ahead of me in college. He never told me where it came from or who was behind it. But it was unquestionably someone who loved Top 40 radio.
It begins with an extensive jingle collage featuring such stations as WPIX-FM, WCBS-FM, WOR-FM, KKDJ, CKLW, WCFL, WIXY, KCBQ, WKNR, WQXI, KYA, WQAM, KTSA, KDWB, WRKO, KJR, KHJ, WKBW, WIBG, and WABC. And that’s just to name a few!
From there it segues into snippets of airchecks from the people who made the medium well done: Wolfman Jack on KDAY, Dan Ingram on WABC, Tom Shannon on CKLW, Larry Lujack (with the Clunk Letter Of The Day) on WCFL, John Landecker on WLS (where he plays all the jingles for every jock on-air there at the time), Hy Lit on WIBG, and even some classic Jackson Armstrong on WKBW. And that only covers a small part of what’s here.
And while a few checks contained here appear elsewhere on this site (most notably “The Bootleg Top 40, Vol. 1”), most of this is original. Just like the true originals who appear on it. My two favorites: Mel Blanc does Sylvester the Cat I.D’ing KDAY, Santa Monica, and a wonderfully suggestive promo for WXLW Indianapolis, giving away “a ball an hour”.
There’s too many to list individually, but here are some highlights.
[Uncle Ricky notes:] There are many wonderful surprises in this one. Listen to the whole thing. The fidelity (or lack of) is the only disappointment; it varies widely and is better in some portions than in others. I’ve heard this 6 times (3 hours), tried various processing choices, encoded twice, and have run out of time! This one really needs multi-band processing, or many hours of careful editing. More than I can give it tonight.
It’s still great fun to hear and includes some things we’ve never had online before. LISTEN!
– Uncle Ricky, 3/25/2000
KDAY Santa Monica–Mel Blanc I.D., WABC New York–Cousin Brucie I.D., Murray the K Promo, WABC New York–“Secret Word Sweepstakes” Promo, WXLW Indianapolis–“Ball An Hour” Promo, WLS Chicago–John Landecker sounds the “Horn Of Leaving”, KKDJ Los Angeles–Contest Promo, WCFL Chicago–Larry O’Brien, CKLW Detroit–“Instant Rip-Off Weekend” Promo, WABC New York–Dan Ingram, WMCA New York–“Good Guys Sweatshirt Giveaway” Promo, WAPE Jacksonville–Jay Thomas & Larry Dixon, WKBW Buffalo–Jackson Armstrong (A Classic Check), WFIL Philadelphia–Dan Donovan, WIBG Philadelphia–Joe Niagara & Hy Lit, WCAM, Camden NJ–Jerry Blavat, “The Geator with a Heater”, KDAY Santa Monica–Wolfman Jack, WRKO Boston–Tom Kennedy, KCBQ San Diego–Charlie Tuna, WCFL Chicago–Larry Lujack (With “Super Jock” Jingle & “Clunk Letter Of The Day”), WLS Chicago–Bob Sirott, WKNR Detroit–Various, CHUM Toronto–J. Michael Wilson & Rodney The Rodent, CKLW Detroit–Jingle Montage, WWWW Detroit–Chuck Richards, CKLW Detroit–Tom Shannon And Now Ladies & Gentlemen …Various Drake Top Of Hour I.D.s: Includes CKLW, KFRC, WOR-FM, CHUM, KHJ, WIBG & WRKO