Hello Radio Friend...
douglas
it, FM radio in the 60's and 70's was more than entertainment. It was
imaginative, irreverent, inspiring, and, in a word not often associated
with broadcasting these days, sincere.
A good radio station could really change the perceived aura of a city.
Lost and found pets and other community-involved announcements
abounded. Positive music, humor, and real persons on the air improved
and enhanced the quality of life.
Much of the flavor of Progressive radio was owed to the personal
choices which the people playing the records were allowed to make.
Unfettered by consultants and focus groups, deejays played what felt
good to them.
Now, so many years later, many of the tasty tracks we used to enjoy are
long gone from the airwaves, and a great number are unreleased on CD.
We might well like to seek out some of these records if we could only
remember what they were!
What we hope to accomplish with this group is to assemble from your own
record collection or memories, songs and other recordings (spoken word,
theater, comedy) which were an essential part of the FM listening
experience, especially your station's own "turntable hits."
By way of example, a couple of records that come to mind as sort of
"FM-only" fare were "White Bird" by It's A Beautiful Day, and Taj
Mahal's "Take A Giant Step."
With that little nudge to get you going, please share your nuggets with
the group, in batches or as they come to you. Even if it's only a
fragmentary untitled recollection, send it in and we'll try to identify
it. We'll be assembling an ongoing compilation and who knows what will
happen.
Be good,
Douglas Grant
Tucson, Arizona