Re: Lost 45's #2 (was Re: ** A Brand New Boston Radio Show!)

[hmglaz@webtv.net (Howard Glazer)]

 R. Palino wrote:

>Once I heard Walter on CGY with a
> caller on the line, *convincing* the caller
> that a cut he wanted to play by said
> artist was better than the title of the one
> she was calling for.

Once I heard WDRC-FM Hartford's Ron Sedaille convince (or try to) a
caller that the Spencer Davis Group's "I'm a Man" would be a better
request than Don McLean's "Vincent." His reason, as I recall, was that
he was on serious cold medication and was afraid that a downer like
"Vincent" would cause him to fall asleep on air!

OK, maybe Sedaille does go too far at times and become the focal point
of the show instead of the music, but request shows, when done well, are
a terrific break from the weekday oldies radio routine. 

My problem with the "Lost 45s" concept is that the tracks chosen are
often just too obscure and not compelling enough musically to keep the
casual listener -- or even most serious '50-'70s fans -- tuned in. Most
listeners will, when pressed, come up with a favorite song or two that
they "never hear on the radio anymore." But that song would probably be
something like Three Dog Night's "Family of Man" or the Fifth
Dimension's "Sweet Blindness," songs that charted high but aren't
slam-dunks with the focus groups that consultants use to boil down their
playlists, not one-hit wonder songs that peaked at No. 47. DRC's show
gets requests for that type of song (the high-charters) all the time --
and plays them (if Sedaille is in the mood). Add '50s music to the mix
and you have, IMO, a successful request show. 

Both Little Walter's and Barry Scott's shows, to my ears, are (were) too
narrowly focused. The Top 40 radio experience for us baby boomers
encompassed a wide range of musical styles. Why should oldies shows be
all-doowop, or  all-obscure/one-hit/novelty?

Howard