WRCO Blog

One of the first recording artists that I had a chance to interview on the program was Bobby Vee.  Over the years he joined us a few times by phone.  He performed in Richland Center in 2006 with the Crickets and Tommy Roe.  Those that were there that night saw rock and roll history.  Bobby announced in 2012 that he was in the early stages of Alzheimers disease and he passed away on Monday of this week. Bobby was always a great interview for me on Those Were The Days.  He could talk first hand about other artists such as Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney.  The Beatles recorded 'Take Good Care Of My Baby'.  A young Bob Dylan played in Bobby Vee's band back in 1959.  Elvis told him that he had a couple of Bobby Vee records on his jukebox. He never forgot us here in the Badger State.     A few of his records were first given a boost with airplay in Wisconsin including his 1967 hit 'Come Back When Your Grow Up'.  We will remember Bobby Vee during our Those Were The Days get together Saturday night.  I will be in the studio to take your old time rock and roll requests.  We will play a few of our favorite Halloween records on this weekends show.  Join me between 6 pm and Midnight on WRCO FM 100.9 for Those Were The Days Saturday night.

Phil

On Those Were The Days Saturday night we will play a few rock & roll history highlights.  WRCO FM 100.9 will also feature W.I.A.A. Regional championship volleyball with the first serve scheduled for 7:00 pm.  Following high school sports we will be taking your rock and roll requests until Midnight.  We will highlight some of my favorite hits from the late 1970's during that time.  Join me Saturday night for the best of the fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties. 

Thanks for all of the good comments about our program last week leading up to our 30th anniversary show.  The show went great!  Thanks to good listeners Jeff and Mary Peper for bringing a beautiful and tasty cake.  My beautiful wife June brought me an anniversary apple crisp which was also delightful.  I look forward to this Saturday night when we begin our next 30 years!

Phil

It seems like maybe ten years have gone by since I first played an old record on a new radio program called 'Those Were The Days'.  The first official Saturday night program aired on October 11, 1986.  Where does the time go?  This program has been such a blast through the years.  Each week it seems I am talking to a first time caller and there are listeners who were listening that first night.  It is my hope and goal that we are able to keep it going for a few more years!  Thanks to you for listening and to Ron and Beth Fruit for giving me a great place to work and the opportunity to play from my record collection each Saturday night.  I will be in the building Saturday night to take your requests and play trivia.  A look back at October of 1986 will be among our special features.  We will find out what was hot and happening when Those Were The Days first went on the air.  I was playing some of those songs when they were brand new. Thirty years later they are old enough to be played on Saturday night!  In 1986 the Monkees were playing on MTV and there were many requests for their music. The song Stand By Me by Ben E. King was a Top Forty hit and was an oldie at the same time after the movie of the same name was released.  During the next year Dirty Dancing soundtrack songs were big and Richie Valens tunes from the LaBamba soundtrack were hot.  There have been many trends through the years that have been fun to be a part of.  We have made the transition from records, cassettes, and radio station carts to cds and computers.  It has been an amazing thirty years.  We still have at least 21 or more years to go to break Ray Schroeder's Rem. With Ray record for the number of years on WRCO.

Phil

It was the second half of 1976.  A young record album buyer was having a tough time buying all of the albums he wanted on a $2.00 a week allowance.  It would take me a month to save up to buy one and if I wanted a Mallow Cup at Gus's Service Station I couldn't afford the album.  Between August and December of 1976, there were many record albums released that still are highly regarded today.  This Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9, we will play a few of those vinyl memories during Those Were The Days. Here is a list of some of my favorite second half of 1976 record albums.

Boston- Boston, Songs In The Key Of Life-Stevie Wonder,  Crystal Ball-Styx, Night Moves-Bob Seger, Leftoverture-Kansas, Tom Petty's debut, Rock And Roll Over-Kiss, 33 1/3-George Harrison,  The Pretender-Jackson Browne, Hotel California-Eagles, A Day At The Races-Queen, and Wings Over America-Wings.    Hear some tracks from these albums during this weekends rock and roll revival.  You can ask that a pop radio hit from the fifties through the eighties be played between six and Midnight Saturday night.  I will be in the studio to take your requests.  We will play trivia and you can impress your friends.  I hope to hear from you Saturday night.

Phil

As the air got cooler and homecoming was in the air, a young freshman center/nose guard stood on the Ithaca sidelines cheering on the older members of the football team.  Through my high school sports career I often was busy thinking about the record hop after the game.  There were great tunes running through my head during the Fall of 1978. Music from Bob Seger, Boston, Cheap Trick, Earth-Wind-and Fire, and much more.  I will get the chance to play them on the radio for you this Saturday night during Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9.  The hotline will be open for you to request a song.  You can take on a trivia challenge during our six hour rock and roll show.  We will have a great time on Saturday night.

Phil Nee

Class Of '82

I will be in the studio to take your phone calls and trivia will be back this Saturday night on FM 100.9!  After taking the lovely June out on a date last Saturday, it will be time to get back to work this Saturday during Those Were The Days.  The best of the fifties through the eighties will return to the airwaves and this weekend we will play a few highlights from the Fall of 1966.  It may be the best year ever for pop culture fans.  Highlights included:  Batman, The Green Hornet,  Star Trek, and The Monkees.  New music on the radio during the Fall of 1966 was awesome.  Top songs included:  Cherish-The Association, Sunshine Superman-Donovan, Bus Stop-The Hollies, 96 Tears-Question Mark & The Mysterians, Cherry, Cherry-Neil Diamond, and Psychotic Reaction-Count Five.  Although I was just a Wee Nee, I remember sitting at the breakfast table enjoying my Cap'n Crunch before Captain Kangaroo.   Later I would play with my 'Fighting Yank' action figure (my parents went for the cheaper version of G.I. Joe).  Mom might force me to wash my hair with Prell before I crawled into bed and listened to all of the awesome songs on the radio before drifting off to sleep.   It will be a blast to join you during Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 this Saturday night and remember the magical year of 1966.

Phil

This week I will be reaching into the archive of cassette and reel to reel tapes and playing back segments of some of my favorite celebrity phone guests from thirty years of Those Were The Days.  My first interview guest was way back in 1987 when Nigel Olsson (Elton John's drummer) joined me by telephone.  Bobby Vinton and Tommy James were also big name guests during those early days. Dick Clark, Nancy Sinatra, Steve Allen, Hal Lindon, Tony Orlando, and a cast of hundreds have graced our airwaves since 1986. This week I will flash back to a few of my favorites.  I will also choose my favorite of all time!  In addition to the special guests, I will feature a few of my faves from the Fall of 1979.  It was a great time for music as number fifty, Phil Nee, was a mighty center and nose guard for the Ithaca Bulldogs.  You will hear some awesome music and fun if you choose to turn on FM 100.9 on Saturday night.  I will not be in the studio to take your requests this time.  Join me for an open line again on Saturday night September 24th.

Phil

The music of the Monkees still plays on the radio, television, and movies after all of these years.  On September 12th it will be exactly fifty years since the first episode of the Monkees played on network television!  Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 Saturday night will highlight some of the  pre-fab fours best music.  They had many great writers working for Don Kirshner and the group.  That translated into great radio hits and album cuts.  When Those Were The Days debuted on WRCO in the Fall of 1986, the Monkees were a hot act again because of MTV playing the show on a regular basis.  It put them back on the charts with the song 'That Was Than, This Is Now'. We would get many Monkees requests each Saturday night back than from younger listeners.  I will spin some of my favorite Monkees cuts this weekend and you can check in with your requests for any group or artist that you would like to hear from the fifties through the eighties.  Thanks for listening all of these years!

Phil

During your time celebrating the last long weekend of Summer, I hope you will tune in for some of the best pop radio songs of all time.  On WRCO FM 100.9 Saturday night, I will be in the studio to take your requests.  We will celebrate the working person with specially selected songs on Those Were The Days such as:  Working For The Weekend-Loverboy,  Chain Gang-Sam Cooke, Blue Collar Man-Styx, Taking Care Of Business-B.T.O., Working Man-Rush, Working For A Living-Huey Lewis, Big Boss Man-Elvis, Working In A Coal Mine-Lee Dorsey,  Lovely Rita-The Beatles, Nine To Five-Dolly Parton.  If you can think of more working songs or songs about the working folks, please give a call or drop me a line this week This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Phil Nee

It will be great to be back in the studio with the chance to spin the best of the fifties through the eighties on Saturday nights Those Were The Days radio show.  I hope you enjoyed the Elvis tribute and the other special features last weekend.   This week I will be taking your requests and first time guest Billy J. Kramer will give his memories of the first wave of the British Invasion.  Thanks to our forgottenhits.com friend Kent Kotal for helping to line this up.  Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas had a handful of hits including songs that were hand delivered by the Beatles.  They shared the same manager, Brian Epstein,  and producer, George Martin.  My favorite song by Billy is 'From A Window'.  Hear about his humble beginnings in Liverpool and recent appearances at Beatles festivals. 

While Those Were The Days was playing on Memorex last weekend, I took Ms. June to see Felix Cavaliere's Rascals.  It was a great concert and I am still humming Good Lovin', People Got To Be Free,  Groovin', I've Been Lonley Too Long', and several others.  What a great performance!  June was the youngest and prettiest there (other than me...hee hee..)  We will get the little records out of there sleeping bags on Saturday during Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9.

Phil

Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 brings back so many memories each Saturday night.  This week I had the chance to visit a Dog n' Suds in Northern Illinois.  I ate my first Dog n' Suds coney dog in thirty-five years and it brought back memories of Summer days cruising for a treat with our 'three on the tree' Chevy farm truck.  This Saturday night between 6 p and Midnight, I will play songs that will transport us to the past.  It is our Elvis tribute show and you can hear the Top Forty biggest Elvis songs.  If you are an Elvis fan, this is your show.  I can vividly remember hearing the report from ABC news back in 1977 that Elvis had died.  We celebrate his legacy of music on Those Were The Days this weekend. 

The Beach Boys and Summer go together.  I will look at some of the California groups biggest radio hits this Saturday night.  The Summer of 1972 brings back great memories.

The first K-tel album I owned was called 'Believe In Music'.  It featured some big hits from one of my favorite Summers.  I will play the entire album and chat about some of the tracks.  Though I will not be in the studio to take your requests this Saturday night, I hope you will stick around and enjoy some of the best pop radio hits of all time.  It will be nearly as good as a black cherry popsicle with two sticks!

Phil

Hey Rock and Rollers!  I will be waiting all week for Saturday night.  Those Were The Days will hit the airwaves with hits Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9.  Your requests will be welcome.  Call 608 647-4155 and keep trying.  It gets very busy especially around trivia time. 

August 13th is a big date in rock and roll history.  My favorite Beatles movie 'Help' was released in America in 1965.  I will spin a few from that films soundtrack Saturday night.  The Lovin' Spoonful had a number one in 1966 with Summer In The City.  In 1969 The Guess Who recorded American Woman which would hit the top ten in 1970.   We will remember a few of these rock and roll moments Saturday night between 6 pm and Midnight during WRCOs' Those Were The Days.

Philip Nee

In August of 1969, little Phil Nee was ready to challenge the Ithaca School District for the first time. It was official when the district came around and stapled a piece of paper to a tree marking the spot where I would get on the bus.  I was nervous but ready to learn from Mrs. Harper at Neptune school.  Years later she would also teach my two daughters in her kindergarten class at Ithacas' elementary school.

The radio was always on at our farm.  In the house or the barn and in the cab of the rusty, trusty, pickup truck.  It was always fun to sit in the truck and turn the knob to find a good song on a far out AM station. On August sixth of 1969 there were big hits playing such as: In The Year 2525, Crystal Blue Persuasion, Sweet Caroline, Bad Moon Rising, Get Back, and Honky Tonk Woman.  A few of these will be spinning again this Saturday night during our six hour Those Were The Days radio show on WRCO FM 100.9.  I will be in the studio to take your requests and play trivia.  We will weave everyones favorites from the fifties through the eighties together for one six hour program.  I hope to hear from you!

Phil

The Summer of 1981 might be the favorite Summer of my youth.  I was preparing to be a big high school Senior in the Fall and the radio was my best friend.  Songs that were spinning in my brain as I accepted bales of hay from our New Holland model 273 came from artists such as Billy Squier,  Hall And Oates, and The Greg Kihn Band.  My friends and I would often spend some cool time eating popcorn and going to the picture show.  Movies in the Summer of 1981 included:  Raiders Of The Lost Ark,  Cheech And Chong's Nice Dreams, History Of The World Part 1, Stripes, and For Your Eyes Only. It seemed like every weekend there was a good movie coming to the indoor or outdoor theaters.

Join me Saturday night for Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 when we will go back to the Summer of '81 with music and memories.  You can request anything you like from the pop charts ranging from the fifites through the eighties.  I will also be back in the studio to play trivia with you.  I hope you will join the party Saturday night between six and midnight.

Phil-WRCO

This Saturday night we will remember those great Summers of the fifties through the eighties.  We will recall how much music was a part of those days.  On WRCO FM 100.9 I will spin some of the greatest hits of Summer including a look back forty years to the Summer of 1976.  We will not be taking your requests this weekend.  That feature will return the following Saturday evening.  I hope you will invite Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 to your Saturday night plans!

Phil

When I wasn't listening to radio hits while driving the old Ford Maverick,  I would pop in a cassette and sing along.  This week on WRCO FM 100.9 we will spin a few of the songs that I kept rewinding over and over just to hear them again.  After all of this time I am still a fan of the three minute pop song.  In the 'Phil Nee' era there were many pop music gems that should have been much bigger hits.  I would try to promote them when I passed out mix tapes to close friends and cute girls.  This Saturday night during Those Were The Days, I will promote those songs while taking your requests.  Perhaps you will answer a trivia question correctly whenever you hear the trivia bell.

Here is a list of some of those great melodies that were often on my mix tapes....

1.  I Will Still Love You-Stonebolt

2.  Call Me When The Spirit Moves You-Touch

3.  Stay In Time-Off Broadway

4.  Switchin'To Glide-The Kings

5.  Arms Of Mary-Chilliwack

6.  Third Time Lucky-Foghat

7.  You Saved My Soul-Burton Cummings

8.  Pretty Lady-Lighthouse

Five of the groups on this list are from Canada.  All of the above are songs that were not over played.  Some of those music makers will comment on the tunes of my choosing during Those Were The Days this Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9.

Phil

This Saturday night on WRCOs'  Those Were The Days, I will dig out a few hits from this weekend in 1977.  I remember well a trip to the Starlite 14 Drive In when Undercover Angel by Alan O' Day was number one.  The song was playing over the tiny little window speakers that they used to have.  Even though disco music was in full bloom, there were some great songs on the Billboard Hot 100 survey.  Hot 45 records came from Steve Miller Band,  Fleetwood Mac,  Pablo Cruise,  Heart, Marshall Tucker Band,and Peter Frampton, which made the Summer of 1977 even better.   I wasn't old enough to drive a car on the higway, however, my bike with the cool AM radio mounted on the handle bars was a mode of transportation.  When I wasn't working the hay mow, I was cruising for chicks on my three speed.

Join the party this Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9 when Those Were The Days lights up the night again.  I will be in the studio to accept your requests for pop radio classics from the fifties through the eighties.  Have fun with trivia time.  I can't wait for Saturday night!

Phil

This Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9 I will speak with Bobby Rydell about his new book Teen Idol On The Rocks.  It is a great book that is more honest than nearly every biography you will read.   On Those Were The Days we will talk to Bobby about music, Sinatra, Bye Bye Birdie, addiction, and whatever comes up.  He is very open with his personal life as you will hear.  I will be in the studio to take your requests and play trivia during a great American weekend.  Take your radio to your Saturday gathering. Join a couple of teen idols (me and Rydell) on Those Were The Days.   

Phil

This Saturday night, WRCO FM 100.9 will turn back the calender to this week in 1967.  We will revive some of the biggest hits from the Summer Of Love during Those Were The Days.  We will also say happy birthday to Carly Simon this Saturday night June 25th.  That is the date that the album Purple Rain by Prince was released.  Many of us remember where we were on June 25th of 2009 when we heard the news that Michael Jackson had died.  Perhaps we will hit the dance floor with a couple of M.J. tunes.  I will be propped up in the studio Saturday night.  Give me a call and request a favorite tune from the fifties through the eighties during Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 this Saturday night........

Rock On.

Phil Nee

This Saturday night on Those Were The Days, we will fly back to some of my favorite June hits (not my wife June).  Radio has always sounded great during the month of June.  I remember school getting out and that meant I could listen to my radio even later at night.  I would record favorite songs from the radio for the ultimate mix tape.  The keys to a good radio mix tape is trying not to get much of the d.j.'s voice and  you must start recording before the vocal of the song.  This weekend we will stop and park for a time in June of 1978 and 1981.  Join me on WRCO FM 100.9 Saturday night for the best of the fifties through the eighties pop radio memories.  We will not be taking your requests this time.  Thank you for listening to the radio.  That keeps me employed!

Phil-WRCO