WRCO Blog

There have been many memorable songs over the years that have been used in commercials.  This introduces old songs to a new audience.  On a rare recent night at home I heard CCR, The Yardbirds,  The Rolling Stones, and The George Baker Selection (Little Green Bag) in the background of TV commercials.  I hadn't heard a Robert Parker song called Barefootin' for a long time before I heard it in a advertisement for deck stain. Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse Of The Heart has been reworked to sell Fiber One bars.  We will play for you a few of those newly brought back songs on this Saturday nights Those Were The Days.  Tune in WRCO FM 100.9 and request a song from the 50's through the 80's,  or play trivia and win something cool from the ' grab bag of goodies' .  I hope you will dial up Those Were The Days this Saturday night from 6 until Midnight.

Phil

During the year of 2014 we will pay tribute to the Beatles a few times.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in America.  February 9th of this year will be the anniversary of their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show!  This weekend on Those Were The Days I am looking forward to featuring a few tracks from the brand new release, The Beatles 'On Air-Live At The BBC Volume 2'.  Volume 1 has been out for several years and we have previously played tracks from that set.  Volume 2 was a Christmas present that I bought myself (don't tell June)!  It shows how talented these guys were.  Most tracks were live radio segments that were heard on the BBC in 1963 and 1964.  Some of the songs were not released on any Beatles album until now.

Join us for the great rock and roll of the 50's through the 80's on WRCOs' Those Were The Days this Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9.  I will be taking your requests and asking more tough trivia questions.  Our first show of 2014 was a blast.  I was amazed how many times I had to go on a cd treasure hunt to find some rare rock last Saturday night.  Thanks for the Everly Brothers requests.  It was a nice tribute to the late Phil Everly.

Phil-Those Were The Days

Hey Rock n' Rollers!  We will celebrate our first show in 2014 by playing a few songs of inspiration.  Songs to give you inspiration which will help choose and keep a resolution.  So Put A Little Love In Your Heart,  Keep Pushin', Celebrate,  and Fly Like An Eagle in 2014.  I will be in the studio Saturday night and I hope to hear from you with a request.  Those Were The Days will again be chocked full of tunes from the 50's through the 80's on WRCO FM 100.9.  I will save a few questions from this years WRCO Triviathon for Saturday night.  Please join us this weekend for another live radio request show.  Happy New Year!

Phil-TWTD Host

This Saturday night you can hear the greatest hits from one of the best years in popular music history.  Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 will turn back the clock to the year end countdown of 1973.  The best Top 40 and Rock And Roll hits will come back to life.  There are many that we don't get a chance to play.  The year is sometimes mentioned as the last great year for rock and roll music.  You can be the judge with us Saturday night!  I will be happy to play for you the Top 73 of 1973 between 6 p and Midnight.

According to Billboard the Top Artists of 1973 were:

10.  Four Tops  9.  Helen Reddy  8.  Stevie Wonder  7. Marvin Gaye  6.  Carpenters  5. Paul McCartney & Wings  4.  Tony Orlando & Dawn  3.  Gladys Knight & The Pips  2.  Jim Croce  1.  Elton John.

Many of these artists will appear on the countdown show this Saturday night.  Hear some chart extras,  should have been biggers, and comedy spotlights this weekend.

Phil-WRCO

We will be playing some of the great rock and roll era Christmas season songs on Those Were The Days this Saturday night.  I will be in the studio along with the Solid Gold Dancers to entertain you.  We will be taking your requests for all of the hits we normally play (not just Christmas tunes).  We will pay tribute to Rolling Stone Keith Richards who turned 70 this week, and Richland Centers' own Vilas Craig who has a birthday Saturday.  I hope you tune in 100.9 WRCO FM Saturday night for Those Were The Days.

Phil

This Saturday night on WRCOs' Those Were The Days, we will be taking the Ford Maverick through the time tunnel and we will check out things in 1978.  It will be fun to play for you some of the hits from my early high school years.  Contrary to popular belief, it was a good time for pop music.  Here is a list of artists that debuted on the Billboard Top 100 chart in 1978.

Van Halen

Eddie Money

Journey

Juice Newton

Kim Carnes

The Cars

Rick James

Cheap Trick

Toto

Prince

Ray Parker Jr.

I will be taking your pop radio requests from the 50's through the 80's this Saturday night and I hope to hear from you.

Phil

This Saturday night we will focus on one of the greatest horn rock bands of all time.  Formed in 1968, Tower Of Power began developing a great following all over the World.  This week I had the chance to interview original group member Emilio Castillo about the history of the group.  They are still playing many shows and look to go on tour with The Steve Miller Band, and Journey in 2014!  I can't wait to play my two favorite Tower Of Power songs, "You're Still A Young Man", and "So Very Hard To Go". 
I will be live in the studio to talk with you and take requests on WRCO FM 100.9 Saturday night.  We will again enjoy the best of the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's pop music together.

Phil-WRCO

This week on WRCOs Those Were The Days, we will flash back to some of the best tunes from the 50's.  The decade that marked the start of Rock and Roll.  Lately it seems there has been a renewed interest in some of this music.  We have been getting requests from Wanda Jackson's rockabilly years.  Elvis, Rick Nelson, Chuck Berry, and the Everly Brothers are among the 50's era artists that often get requested.  Rock Around The Clock was the first song that was ever played on Those Were The Days and it is still one of the most popular songs of all time!

I will celebrate the 50's this Saturday night and I hope you will join the party.  Give me a call and request a song from the 50's through the 80's on Saturday night between 6 p and Midnight on WRCO FM 100.9.

Philip-TWTD Host

I love all eras of the music we play from the 50's through the 80's on Those Were The Days.  Some of my favorite listening music comes from the late 60's.  Top 40 pop music was in its prime and the Turtles led the way.  They had 5 top ten tunes including: It Aint Me Babe, Happy Together, She'd Rather Be With Me, Elenore, and You Showed Me.  They had 17 memorable pop and folk rock ditties make the Billboard charts between 1965 and 1970.  We will revive some of those tunes during this weeks Saturday night rock and roll program.  We will share with you some reflections on the Turtles with guest group member Mark Volman!

I hope to hear from you this Saturday night.  You can call the hotline or email me with ideas and requests This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   Listen for trivia and other surprises during Those Were The Days.

Phil

I remember listening to music all of the time back in 1979 while sitting in a bean bag chair.  Normally I could tell you what was playing on the radio in 1-2 seconds.  Scanning the dial an AM and FM was my night time ritual.  I would wear those great big Koss headphones (which I still have) and fall asleep each night to cool tunes. Some of my favorites from mid November included:  Heartache Tonight-The Eagles,  Tusk-Fleetwood Mac,  Good Girls Don't-The Knack,  Don't Stop Til You Get Enough-Michael Jackson,  Take The Long Way Home-Supertramp,  Cool Change-Little River Band,  Dream Police-Cheap Trick, Please Don't Go-KC, and Still-The Commodores.

Artists that made their chart debut in the Fall of 1979 included:  Pat Benatar and John Mellencamp.  The Top Five Charting Artists of the year were:  5.  Earth, Wind, & Fire,  4. Village People  3. Peaches & Herb  2.  Bee Gees  1.  Donna Summer.  Hear some of these artists mixed in with your rock and roll requests on Saturday nights edtition of Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9.  Request a song and play trivia with us this weekend.  I hope to hear from you.

Phil-WRCO

It was a hot chart back in 1965.  As was the case in the 1960's, many styles of music were represented on the charts.  The top 10 this week included:  Marvin Gaye, Supremes,  Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass,  The Vogues,  Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones.  It was a time when Top 40 Radio was king with fast talking jocks, loud commercials, and 2 1/2 minute songs.  We will spin a few of those hot hits from all of those years ago on this Saturday nights' Those Were The Days show on WRCO FM 100.9.

I will be live in the studio and I can't wait to hear from you. Help program the playlist when you request a song and play trivia with us this Saturday night from 6 pm until Midnight.  We have talked with several listeners that enjoyed last Saturdays retro show.  We sounded a little younger back in 1987!  It is always fun to go back and remember when the show was all vinyl records and commercials on tape cartridges.  It involved a lot more running.  I was in better shape than!  Last weeks flashbacks to 1973 and 1983 were fun to put together.  Those two years were really great Top 40 music years.  I am glad that you liked it.

Phil

This Saturday night we will park the 'Ford Maverick Time Machine'  in 1973 and listen to the radio.  It has been called the last great year for Rock n' Roll music.  Find out if that is true on Those Were The Days.  Elton John, Gladys Knight And The Pips,  Led Zepplin, Seals And Crofts, Allman Brothers,  Grand Funk, the Rolling Stones, and many others were enjoying radio success 40 yeears ago. 

Those Were The Days recently celebrated another birthday.  This Saturday night we will flash back to an aircheck of the show from 26 years ago.  We were than celebrating our 1st anniversary.  My voice was a little higher.  I thought the tape was playing fast, however, the songs sounded like they were on the right speed.  Hear what Those Were The Days sounded like in 1987 for a time on Saturday night.  We will also enjoy a few 'twin spins' of some of our favorite artists, and a few left over Halloween songs.  It will be an action packed Those Were The Days this Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9 from 6 pm until Midnight.

Phil

This Saturday night we will feature a few of the classic rock and roll Halloween tracks that we love to play.  Don't be afraid as we enter the WRCO back room to find wierd and wild songs.  We will be taking your requests during the second part of the program and playing trivia.  Lets have another rock and roll party Saturday night!

Did you know?  Bobby "Boris" Pickett hit number one with Monster Mash in 1962.  It is one of the few non-Christmas songs to make the Billboard survey in its original form three times.  It charted again in 1970 and in 1973.  I remember being amazed to watch Monster Mash make its way up the chart in the Summer of 1973 before it peaked at number 10.  It may have been helped by Dr. Demento's National Radio show in which he played many of the wierd classics. 

I hope to hear from you this Saturday night.

Phil

This weekend on WRCOs' Those Were The Days, we will be spinning some of the top tunes from the Fall of 1966.  It was a great time in Top 40 radio with many styles of music.  According to Billboard magazine, these were the top 10 artists for the year of '66....

1.  The Beatles

2.  The Beach Boys

3.  The Rolling Stones

4.  The Lovin'Spoonful

5.  Hermans Hermits

6.  Simon and Garfunkel

7.  The Righteous Brothers

8.  The Supremes

9.  Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

10.Gary Lewis And the Playboys

Take a trip back with Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 this Saturday night until Midnight.  I hope to hear from you.  Request one of your favorites from the past and play along when you hear the Magic Trivia Cowbell ring!

Phil

This Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9 we will be spinning some of the most popular songs from Steve Miller.  He was born October 10th of 1943 in Milwaukee Wisconsin.  He has long been a fave of those that requests songs on Saturday night during our program.  Recently on my favorite website Forgotten Hits, there was a list of the top ten Steve Miller tracks.

1.  Abracadabra

2.  The Joker

3.  Rock'n Me

4.  Fly Like An Eagle

5.  Jet Airliner

6.  Take The Money And Run

7.  Swingtown

8.  Jungle Love

9.  Heart Like A Wheel

10.Living In The USA

Hear some of these Saturday night!  We will be playing your requests and serving up a few tough trivia questions.  Saturday night until Midnite its Those Were The Days.

Phil

The release of the album Sports by Huey Lewis & The News in the Fall of 1983 brought good rock and roll back to the charts.  It was nice to hear a saxophone on Top 40 radio again. Five songs from the album made the Billboard Top 100 and all 9 got radio play.  Hear a few of those tunes on this Saturday nights edition of Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9.  Here is a track listing for the classic Huey Lewis album that many had on cassette, album, 45's, and have now digitally downloaded.

Side One                                                      Side Two

The Heart Of Rock & Roll                                 Walking On A Thin Line

Heart and Soul                                              Finally Found A Home

Bad Is Bad                                                    If This Is It

I Want A New Drug                                         You Crack Me Up

                                                                   Honky Tonk Blues

We will be taking your requests this Saturday night during our 6 hour music of the 50's through the 80's get together.  While many stations have forgotten about the tunes from the 50's thru 1963 (pre-Beatles), we still get requests for them and are glad to play them.  Win some cool prizes this weekend!  Try your luck when we play trivia on WRCO FM 100.9.

Those Were The Days!

Phil

Vicki Lawrence will be my special guest this Saturday night!  She will be talking about the release of Seasons 1 and 2 of Mama's Family on DVD and memories of the Carol Burnett Show.  Saturday nights were family nights around our old Curtis Mathes TV set.  Watching all of the CBS programs with our favorite at 9 pm the Carol Burnett Show.  I could relate to 'The Family' sketch especially when they played board games.  Since Those Were The Days is a music show, I will ask Vicki about her number one hit "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" which topped the charts in 1973.

I hope that you will request a song and play trivia with us this Saturday night from 6 pm until Midnight on WRCO FM 100.9.  You could be the winner of a copy of season 2 of Mama's Family! We will again dig out those old pop radio memories from the 50's through the 80's.

Phil

It seems like it is 'old friends' month on WRCOs' Those Were The Days!  Ray Graffia has been our guest a few times over the past 27 years. His group, the New Colony Six,  has even played a couple of shows for us including our 10th Anniversary celebration!  The group was the first Chicago area rock and roll group of the 60's to get radio airplay when a song called I Confess became a hit.  There are legions of fans that love the group for its garage tunes of the mid 60's, and another large group that remember them for the huge radio ballads Things I'd Like To Say and I Will Always Think About You.  Ray Graffia will give us more memories of the band and we will ask him about a show here in Wisconsin coming up!  On Sunday September 29th, the New Colony Six will perform in La Crosse during the October Fest celebration.  The group will play at the Southside Festgrounds on the Bier Halle Main Stage from 5 pm until app: 6:30.  I hope to see some of our Those Were The Days listeners Sept. 29th at the event cheering the group on!

We will also be taking your requests this Saturday night the 22nd of September and playing trivia between 6 p and Midnight.  It is always amazing to hear folks calling in from locations at least one hour away.  That makes being at the station most every Saturday night very rewarding.  Thanks again for listening.

Phil-WRC0

Tommy Roe has been our featured artist a few times over the years.  We will talk about his new album this Saturday night on Those Were The Days.  Tommy has a new single called 'Mempis Me' which we are playing in our Country format.  He is the answer to several trivia questions and he will talk about his 1963 British tour in which the Beatles were his opening act!  When he played at Richland Center High school in 2005, he told me he was retiring.  It is great to hear that he is un-retired and playing for his fans again. 

I will be taking your requests this Saturday night and we will be popping a few trivia questions.  Tune in 100.9 WRCO FM for the best music from the 50's through the 80's.

Phil