and another third of their playlist would be Rush & Pink Floyd, with the remaining third being a combo of Aerosmith & Def Leppard.
It should seem like it, but it feels like 90% of their playlist is five or six artists.
That is what it feels like. Don’t forget Led Zeppelin. I swear I hear “Stairway to Heaven” much more now than I when I started listening to classic rock in the late 80s/early 90s (I was either not born or too young for most of the traditional 60s-70s classic rock era stuff.) And part of the reason I say that is that I just heard it about fifteen minutes ago. They promised to play a “lost classic rock” classic afterwards. I need to see what it was, since I missed it. checks Ah, “Radioactive” by the Firm.
See, they’ll throw in a curveball or a semi-curveball every once in awhile, but the bulk is pretty repetitive. If I have time, I’ll see if I can get this week’s playlist organized and see how close to reality our impressions are. Unfortunately, their own website makes it kind of tedious to scroll through all the playlist to collect all the data.
I got some songs that should disappear.
Here in Sacramento, if you listen to the radio for an hour, on any rock station, you will hear ‘Edge of Seventeen’ by Stevie Nicks and ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ by the Scorpions.
And I am really tired of it.
So, I managed to find a Czech or Slovak site that managed to have easily copy & pastable data for the last 7 days of songs played by many US radio stations. So here’s my analysis of WLUP. Our impressions were somewhat correct, but not completely. Rush actually didn’t quite make the top ten. They were the 11th most played band. AC/DC was a top 5 playlist we missed. So here’s our order, with 1600 total songs played in the time period analyzed:
Artist #Plays %age
Led Zeppelin 105 6.6%
Rolling Stones 78 5.9%
Van Halen 75 4.7%
AC/DC 73 4.6%
Aerosmith 69 4.3%
Pink Floyd 62 3.9%
Guns n Roses 55 3.4%
Queen 44 2.8%
The Who 44 2.8%
Def Leppard 39 2.4%
Rush 38 2.4%
So, not quite as crazy, but the top ten bands last week made up 40% of the playlist (Rush is not counted in this, as it was #11.) The five most played bands are a full quarter of the playlist.
And if you’re curious what the most played songs were, here’s the top 3: “Bohemian Rhapsody” (11 plays), “Who Are You” (11 plays), “Under Pressure” (11 plays).
This will make y’all’s day. Long and long ago in Sacramento there was one of the first album rock stations, KZAP. They were experimental and weird and I loved them so very much. They went through various format revisions and went corporate AF and finally died a slow, 'orrible death sometime in the '90s. Then some crazy people, ex DJs from the place, did something weird. They bought an extremely low power radio station on which to broadcast, then started up their non-profit, donation based resurrection of the old KZAP on the internet. Go to K-ZAP.org and either listen on the web or download the app for your phone. I don’t think there’s a song mentioned in this thread that I haven’t heard recently on there, along with new music by old favorite artists and new stuff that sounds like it ought to be on a classic rock station and for real oldschool DJs picking their own music and in general just having a good time. Listen for a while, you’ll be hooked.
You’re welcome.
“Hocus Pocus” - Focus
“Life’s What You Make It” - semi-obscure 80’s number by I think A-Ha, with the darned catchiest guitar hook.
You don’t really hear Ted Nugent on the radio anymore ever since he started being increasingly racist and assholish in public.
Meh. Speaking as someone who was a huge Nuge fan, it’s more than that. For me, even though Stranglehold has a great riff, the idiotic lyrics just kill me and take me out of the song.
It worked when I was 14. Cat Scratch Fever is just as insipid. Wang Dang Sweet Poontang? Wango Tango?
But then I really listened to him, after getting introduced to Jeff Beck, Freddie King and T-Bone Walker. The dude is boring. Listen to his big instrumental off CSF, Home Bound: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8sBPSwO0vR8
An interesting enough riff, played over and over on top of Steve Miller’s Jet Airliner groove, except for the middle bolero break. But then listen to the song that gave Ted the temerity to include an instrumental, Beck’s Bolero: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuj5toLeyY8 My god, listen to that. The energy, the use of the lead riff to keep driving the rhythm forward, the repetition like a new layer of intensity. Then a gorgeous, simple break, a return and then an explosive rave up that returns to the main theme.
Then go back and listen to Home Bound. But why? I was done then, when I was 16. Medium talent!*
*the insult Bill Murray hurled at Chevy Chase when CC came back to guest host and was the same arrogant douche he’d been when he left SNL to be replaced by Murray. And it was so effective because it was so correct.
Many of these songs I simply haven’t heard on classic rock radio at all (meaning, classic rock radio circa late 80s/early 90s. I’m not sure when “classic rock radio” started, but it couldn’t have been too much before then, since it takes time for something to become “classic.”) I used to listen to WCKG and WLUP in high school ('89-'93) religiously, and I’m drawing complete blanks on many of these songs.
What I’ve noticed around here is that prog rock has very much fallen off the classic rock stations. (Minus Rush, if you count them.) I can’t remember the last time hearing Gabriel-era Genesis on the radio. “Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” at least, was sure to get played once a week on one of the stations I listened to, but I can’t think of when I last heard it. Same with Yes! ELP I might hear “Lucky Man” every once in awhile, but “Karn Evil 9” used to be a staple, as well. I don’t recall ever hearing much King Crimson on the radio even back then, though.
Humble Pie is another one. I’ll actually hear “30 Days in the Hole” every once in awhile, but it’s not on the classic rock station. It’s on the (let me look this up) “adult album alternative” station, WXRT, which has a playlist spanning the 60s to now.
I’m surprised that you never hear “Hot Child in the City” if you’re listening to a Canadian classic rock station.
I remember that a lot of the longer prog rock songs used to get some play on Sunday nights and overnights. Which made sense, there was probably less advertising sold, and I assume the DJ may have had a few more responsibilities working nights, so they needed longer songs which were also convenient for bathroom and smoke breaks. I listen to very little classic rock commercial radio these days, but I assume the overnight hours are all automated now or else syndicated.
Damn, I’ve lost three version of this post due to the damn token expiring before I hit post. I know better, I swear. But I’m still an idiot.
Chicago has TWO actual Classic Rock stations? LUXURY! I envy you guys. Obviously, yeah, a lot of this is going to be down to the market you live in. Leaffan, I’m not sure if you’re joking or not, but if you’re in an area where your only classic rock station mentions IHeartMedia constantly: yes, it’s a commercial conspiracy. You can genuinely hate Texas for this one, too.
I kind of think of classic rock radio becoming Classic Rock radio happened over the course of the 1980’s. When you started to get a lot of the bands being just too odd or too synth-pop to easily fit with the older rock bands, the transition started. However, I found out about Love and Rockets’ No New Tale to Tell when it was a pre-sale promo sent to record stations and played on the generally classic rock KZEW in the middle of my afternoon drive home. By 1990 there was an “Alternative Rock” station that would handle those kind of releases, for the most part.
Thank you Fuji, that made me realize I don’t own a James Gang record. I need to fix that. And thanks, SmartAleq for the streaming tip.While looking up the sticker for KZEW, I found that some of the folks responsible for that station have a stream over at Vokal. They’re still pretty eclectic, it seems. They’ve played Billy Bragg, Paul McCartney and Wings, and “Lovin You Loving Me” from Clapton’s first solo record since I first tuned in. They’re playing the overture to Tommy now. No complaints about the narrowness of this playlist so far.
Yeah, not too much reason to listen to The Nuge unless you really have to hear those riffs one more time. But then again, I listen to AC/DC, who don’t really have enlightening lyrics.
Yes, you don’t hear much in the way of Aerosmith other than the two big hits. I think the last time I heard “Last Child” on the radio was on the soft metal station around here. You don’t hear much Nazareth and I can’t tell you the last time I heard “Mississippi Queen” on the radio. Oh, but I do hear a lot of Led Zeppelin due to the “Get the Led out” nonsense. They really do go pretty far into the catalog sometimes to keep that one going. I’d say I hear a more diverse section of Led Zeppelin’s catalog today than I did back when I had 3-4 competing rock stations in my area that would play them.
So, a few more you rarely hear these days:
Cream - You hear “White Room” and maybe “Sunshine of Your Love” on occasion, but Swlabr or Tales of Brave Ulysses are both pretty scarce these days.
Deep Purple - You might hear “Smoke on the Water”, but I miss being surprised by random Hush and Highway Star.
Mott the Hoople -All the Young Dudes
Ok, saving this one to an external editor before submitting.
There’s also 94.7 WLS “Classic Hits.” This is a mix of classic rock and 80s pop. So, I’ll see Bowie, Heart, Tom Petty, The Police, Styx on it, but it also has Duran Duran, Prince, and (mentioned in this thread) Huey Lewis and the News. So I guess like late 70s, 80s top 40 music.
ETA: Also, there’s WERV 95.9 out of Aurora (western suburb of Chicago.) That’s a straight-up classic rock station. I’m not that familiar with it, and I don’t seem to get the signal out here, but if you’re in the Aurora area, you should be able to get that and the other two classic rock stations in Chicago.)
Anything Motley Crue is always good to hear. Kickstart my heart is one of my all time favorite songs.
Word. My biggest complaint living near SF is hearing them all them damned time.
Amen.
There is also WDRV 97.1HD2 that plays “Deep Tracks.” Here is their playlist.
If you are one of the half-dozen people in the whole world that has an HD radio, you can listen to this. (Yes, HD radio is terrestrial over-the-air free radio that broadcasts on the same band as all your favorite AM and FM stations. It is not satellite or internet radio. There are no fees to listen.)
actually if you live or lived in la you know about the infamous wkrth aka k-earth 101 it plays pop oldies and it was the same 50s/60s with some 70s thrown in it was the same 1-200 songs everyday
I turned it on a month ago and and didn’t hear anything made before 1980 …
Now if you want a lot of the hard and metal rock and things like rush you listen to 95.5 klos …they play old and new stuff …
But here in la county you even have r&B and rap oldie stations …funny thing about them is a lot of the rap never was on the radio in the first place …like when I heard "new jack hustler "by ice-t the dj said it was one the first times it was played on radio and its damn near 30 years old …
See, I think classic rock radio got the Crue exactly right. Kickstart and maybe Looks That Kill. I love those two, but then: Done. It’s about what they’re worth. I mean, how thankful was I when Home Sweet Home stopped getting air play?
squeegee - you hear them all night, all night, ooo, every night? ;).
Yeah, while I always respected Schon as a player, and tap my toe to a couple of songs - Dead or Alive, and I have a weird affection for the riff on Where Were You - man, I hate them. Having to have them be a San Francisco band as a teen in the Bay Area just stunk. I have no idea why, but even though their cheese factor was even higher, I always enjoyed Huey Lewis and the News so much more. Hip to be Square, If This is It - cheesey as hell, but they seemed in on the joke, and their technically-complex harmonies and arrangements sound real and crafted, not glossy like Journey’s.
Back to the OP, would also point out UFO. Too Hot to Handle. Only You Can Rock Me (Rock me;)), Lights Out, Doctor Doctor - they got air play back in the day and the songs hold up and the playing is excellent.
Essentially, and I hate to say this, these are oldies stations, and they’re going to play the songs aging baby boomers liked best back in the day when they were wearing Qiana shirts and corduroys. Or at least the songs programmers think they liked best.
I was a big Tull and Who fan back in the day, but I can’t listen to almost any Who these days because it was so overplayed. Tull I can listen to as long as “Aqualung”, “Too Old to Rock and Roll”, or the truly unfortunate “Bungle in the Jungle” don’t come up (all I have to hear is that flute and roaring lion and I lunge toward the radio).
What could I stand more of? They used to play Neil Young a lot, and none of his more popular songs wore out on me, but I think they’ve all but disappeared.
Allman Brothers, o my god they played a lot, and yet their best songs were so varied that I could still listen to many of them. But I can’t think of the last time I heard one on the radio.