I’ve just finished reading a terrific book by Washington Post writer Marc Fisher called Something in the Air: Radio, Rock, and the Revolution That Shaped a Generation. Fisher starts with the familiar story of Todd Storz and the restaurant jukebox and then follows the beat coast to coast, from Cousin Brucie Morrow in New York to Hunter Hancock in Los Angeles. Fisher also describes Tom Donahue’s invention of progressive FM in San Francisco and how Bob Fass gave it a twist in New York, the work of storyteller Jean Shepherd, how Lee Abrams tightened up the FM band and later repented, the rise and fall of noncommercial radio, and a lot more. He even spends a bit of time on talk radio, with profiles of Rush Limbaugh, Tom Leykis and Glenn Beck. Fisher points out that all of them were once Top 40 jocks, and explains how their shows retain a Top 40 sensibility. Anybody interested in rock radio history should pick this up.
On the subject of radio, I’ve made some new additions to the blogroll. One will be of particular interest to folks in Wisconsin: 93QFM—the Halcyon Days. It features tales of Milwaukee radio from the 60s to the 80s and the people who made it rock, including some I’d forgotten: Bobbin Beam, Jeff Peterson, Brent Alberts, and Space Commander Green. And also: We’ve got lots of links to tribute sites for East Coast, Midwest, and even Canadian radio stations, but precious little for the western United States. So it seemed like a good idea to add When Radio Was Boss, a site devoted to California Top 40 radio.
Also new to the roll: Doug Calgaro’s Underground Vault of Records, Music and All Kinds of Stuff, which features mostly photos of record labels and picture sleeves.
I’m a big fan of the Idiot’s Guides over at Jefitoblog. The latest one features the J. Geils Band, and is written by our pal Jeff of AM, Then FM. Lots of great tunes over there, and Jeff’s customary perceptive analysis. The J. Geils post features a guest appearance by John from Lost in the 80s. John’s main blog is called Johnny Is a Man and He’s Bigger Than You. A couple of weeks ago, he wrote a fine post about the person who made a glam-rocker out of him. You’ll want to read the tale.
This post was written while listening to the O’Jays’ 1974 album Ship Ahoy, which is a masterpiece of Philadelphia soul. It’s the one with “For the Love of Money,” which reached Number 9 in the summer of 1974. (It wasn’t the first single from the album, though—that was “Put Your Hands Together,” which made Number 10 in the spring.) It’s also got the “Back Stabbers”-inspired “Don’t Call Me Brother,” “Now That We Found Love,” and the title track, a nine-minute epic about slave ships.
Just to be contrary, however, I’m going to post “You Got Your Hooks in Me,” a beautiful love ballad that was not the sort of thing the O’Jays were generally known for. And what the hell, I’ll put up the awesome 7:19 version of “For the Love of Money” too—the deepest groove Gamble and Huff ever plowed. But neither will be up for long.
“You Got Your Hooks in Me”/O’Jays
“For the Love of Money”/O’Jays
(buy Ship Ahoy here)
Filed under: Tracks
