WRCO Blog

Top Forty radio in 1965 featured so many songs that are still well rememberd today.  During this weeks Those Were The Days show on WRCO FM 100.9, I will be digging out some of the best from the Summer of '65.  WRCO FM 100.9 went on the air for the first time that year.  WRCO AM 1450 first took the air in the Fall of 1949.  AM radio was king for many years.  The FM band was still not popular for a long time, however, Southwest Wisconsin listeners that actually had a receiver found out how much clearer the music sounded.  Some of my faves from 1965 Summertime include:  I Like It Like That-Dave Clark Five,  I Can't Help Myself-Four Tops,  I Want Candy-Strangeloves,  Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me-Mel Carter,  I'm A Fool-Dino, Desi, & Billy, and Help -The Beatles.   We all can use a little fun.  Saturday night is my favorite time of the week.  There are so many listeners that have become like family and if they don't call, I worry about them!  We always have a blast.

It is great to know that some people do remember the trivial things that I do.  After we asked about the peanut butter spread known as Koogle Saturday night,  several listeners checked in to say they remember eating that stuff in the '70's.  A few wondered if they can still buy that.  I googled Koogle and it does not look like it is still manufactured.  It seems that it has gone the way of another 70's favorite, Pizza Spinners.  Those Were The Days radio features the hits and the trivia every Saturday night from six to midnight.   Come along with us to happy times each weekend during WRCOs' Retro Saturdays.

Phil

The Blues Brothers movie was released forty years ago this Summer.  My buddies and me could not wait for it to make its way to Richland Center.  After seeing it at the indoor and later the outdoor theater, we had many of the lines memorized.  We were all Saturday Night Live fans and grew up watching Dan Akroyd and John Belushi each week.  I was familiar with their version of 'Soul Man' when it was released to radio in 1978.  Someone brought their album Briefcase Full Of Blues to the band room at Ithaca High School and we used to listen to that whenever we could. It was so good.  The Blues Brothers introduced us to so many songs that we may never have been aware of. I had never heard of Cab Calloway until the Blues Brothers movie.  The movie music was the soundtrack to my Summer of 1980.  Us fellows would often attempt to dress up like the Blues Brothers. We did not have Donald 'Duck' Dunn or Steve Cropper to back us up, so some guys had to play their combs.  If you put a piece of paper over your comb and hummed, you could almost sound like you were playing a harmonica.  Some of the young ladies in our class were actually impressed for a few minutes.

We will be remembering the Blues Brothers during Those Were The Days on FM 100.9 Saturday night.  There will also be a special spotlight on the movie American Graffitti which was released August first of 1973.  When I saw Wolfman Jack on the big screen, I knew what I wanted to do with my life.  Perhaps you will suggest a song during our six hour music celebration on Saturday night.  The best of the fifties through the eighties will be back in the spotlight.  You will also have a chance to win a prize if you can be the first to answer during trivia time.  Let's have a rock and roll party on Saturday night.

Phil

I have written about K-tel records many times on this blog.  For a farm boy on a budget, these albums were gold.  Even though some of the early ones crammed 22 songs on one album and cut most songs down to about 2 minutes a piece.  A song that was over seven minutes such as Layla by Derek & the Dominoes was only a minute and a half!  It did not make a difference to me.  Other generations can relate with the Now series of greatest hits cd's or spotify. In the 70's and 80's, K-tel was all that we had.  My mix tapes were awesome! There were so many songs that I had never heard before and would have never have bought (especially on side 2 of those greatest hits comps).  Many of those tunes have become favorites of mine thanks to those budget albums.  During this weeks Those Were the Days radio show on WRCO FM 100.9, I will play a few highlights from some of the most memorable K-tel releases including 1975's Out Of Sight,  Disco Mania, and Music Express and from 1980  Rock 80!   There was nothing like putting on a K-tel album and sitting on the front porch at the old farmhouse in the Summertime.  Saturday night I will be back there in my mind.  Perhaps you can contribute to the playlist?  We will spin the best music from the fifties through the eighties between six and midnight Saturday night.  It wont even cost you $4.99 for the record or $5.99 for the 8 track tape!  It is free....but wait there's more.  You could be the winner of fun prizes when we play trivia.  WRCO will leave the light on for you and the phone will be answered.  We are live and local on Saturday nights.  That is hard to find on local radio these days.

It has been a sad last week here at WRCO.  Saturday we will say goodbye to Ray Schroeder.  I have followed his Rem. With Ray program all of these years.  He has been a mentor,  father figure,  partner in crime,  and willing participant in many on air skits.  He was still driving himself here to record his programs until recently.  To be able to do that for 57 years and still be broadcasting at 95 years old was simply amazing.  I will always remember Ray and the laughs that we shared.  WRCO will feature archived shows Saturday afternoons for the near future.

Phil

In 1983 the mobile dj business was booming.  I was rolling in up to 50 dollars a night!  By the time I went and bought the latest songs on 45 rpm records, and bought gas, I almost broke even.  It was a great time for music with MTV influences and dance tracks ruling the charts.  This week on Those Were the Days, you can join me in a simpler time.  The best of the fifties through the eighties will be back on the air.  We will stop and park for a little while in 1983.  Our curfew is Midnight, so we will have you home by than.  Some of my faves from the Summer of 1983 include:  Our House-Madness,  Is There Something I Should Know-Duran Duran,  1999-Prince,  Cuts Like A Knife-Bryan Adams,  She's A Beauty-The Tubes,  Rock Of Ages-Def Leppard, and Rock and Roll Is King-ELO. These were all favorites at the bars, schools, church socials,  softball tournaments, and parties that we invaded.  You will get a slice of that Summer when you tune in Those Were The Days this weekend.   It will be a blast from the past this Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9 between six and Midnight when we take those old records off the shelf.  Perhaps you will be the winner of one of the six trivia prizes that we give away.  

Phil

Saturday night on WRCOs' Those Were The Days we will be serving up some treats.  The best of the fifties through the eighties will take flight, and we will stop and go parking in 1975.  That was a great Summer for songs.  In between unloading hay bales, I would have my Panasonic radio blasting Top Forty songs.  In between loads of hay, there was nothing better than sitting in the shade and eating a black cherry popsicle (with 2 sticks in each treat).  You could break them in half and share them, but who would want to do that?  When the hay was made for the day, we would take a dive in Willow creek.  The water was so cold after a 90 degree day in the barn.  My trusty Panasonic rado was on the creek bank.  Some of my fave '75 radio tunes included:  Magic-Pilot,  Hey You-Bachman Turner Overdrive,  Sister Golden Hair-America,  Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)-Doobie Brothers,  I'm On Fire-Dwight Twilly Band,  and I'm Not In Love-10 cc.  July was the month in which the combines would be pulled from the sheds for harvesting oats.  I have vivid memories of sitting on the tractor that was hooked to a gravity box and waiting for the combine to unload.  As I waited WLS was announcing its number one song that week,  Listen To What The Man Said by Paul McCartney and Wings.  

I hope that you will be able to join for all or some of the six hour salute to rock and roll on WRCO FM 100.9 this Saturday night.  The request line will be wide open and there will be plenty of trivia.  Escape to the land of great memories during Those Were The Days Saturday night between six and midnight.

Phil 

This Saturday night on Those Were The Days we will be touring this great land through music.  I will be back to the studio and will be ready to take your requests and quiz you with trivia questions.  Celebrate the fourth of July with us!   We may take the Last Train To Clarksville.  On the way we may say hello to Kentucky Woman or stop by Bowling Green.  Some of our favorite towns named in rock and roll songs include:  Kansas City,  Detroit Rock City,  La Grange,  Galveston,  Memphis,  and San Francisco.  Those Were The Days will taking you all over America on the night of the fourth.  I hope you will join me for the best pop music from the fifties through the eighties between six and Midnight Saturday night.

I hope you enjoyed our Summer songs countdown last Saturday night.  It was a blast to put that together.  There were a lot of Beach Boys harmonies and songs that you could practically feel the sun shine from. The number one song was Summer In The City by the Lovin Spoonful.   If you would like to see the complete list of the songs that were counted down, you can go to forgottenhits.com.  Kent Kotal is assembling a brand new list which will be released later this Summer.  If you would like to vote on your fave Summer songs, you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Kent will be taking your votes through Saturday (the 4th).

Have a safe and healthy holiday weekend.  If you get the chance, join me for Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 Saturday night.

Phil

It was the Summer of 1986 when I received a phone call from Ron Fruit at WRCO.  He was letting me know that they could use some night time help at the station.  This worked out well for me because I was still helping out on the farm and could spin Top 40 records at night!  We were still mostly playing 45 RPM records at WRCO in 1986.  Some of the top songs this week in 1986 included:  No One Is To Blame-Howard Jones,  Tuff Enuff-Fabulous Thunderbirds,  All I Need Is A Miracle-Mike and the Mechanics,  Like A Rock-Bob Seger,  Your Wildest Dreams-Moody Blues,  Dreams-Van Halen,  and Be Good To Yourself-Journey.  It was a great time to be in radio because new technology was coming in, however, I got the chance to play vinyl records,  cart machine tape commercials, and reel to reel tape shows.  Those formats were starting to become 'old school' at that time.  I am so greatful that I got that call in 1986!  The radio ride has been a great blessing to me.  This Saturday night during our Those Were The Days radio show on WRCO FM 100.9, I will spin a few of those songs that I first played on the air.  We will be taking your rock and roll requests and will be spinning tunes from the fifties through the eighties between six and midnight Saturday night.

Phil

Saturday night during Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9, you will get some songs that are right on the money.  I will be spinning the best of the fifties through the eighties and the theme of the night will be songs about money.  The number one thing songwriters write tunes about is love and relationships.  I am not sure where money related tunes show up on the list, however, there are many songs about the subject.  We could fill most of the six hour radio show with songs about the almighty dollar.  Some faves include:  For The Love Of Money-O' Jays,  Rich Girl-Hall & Oates,  Take The Money and Run-Steve Miller Band,  Money (That's What I Want)-Barrett Strong,  Can't Buy Me Love-Beatles,  and Money For Nothing-Dire Straits.  Join the old rock and roll party on Saturday evening between six and midnight.  Perhaps you will be the winner during our hourly trivia challenges!  As I often say,  It is rewarding to hear from so many listeners that are just discovering what we do on WRCO Saturday nights.  There are also those that have been with us since the opening night of the show in October of 1986 (Marilyn,  Rick,  Mary,  Mystery Man,  Gayle,  Julie,  Darrell,  Bonnie, Bruce,  and Gary).  I will be here Saturday night and I hope you will as well.

Phil 

I am very much like Uncle Rico in the movie Napoleon Dynamite.  Both of us wish we could go back to 1982 and help our teams win state.  That is the year that I graduated from high school and prepared for life as a disc jockey.  Uncle Rico, it appears, bought a van to live in.  We both were able to live the American dream.  The time travel machine that Uncle Rico bought on line does not work.  It appears the only way we can go back to that year is in our minds as we listen to popular tunes of that year.  This week on WRCO FM 100.9, we will be featuring a few tracks from the Summer of '82.  I am postive that this statement is biased, however, 1982 was the best year of the decade for music.  As I was preparing that Summer to leave the farm for the first time and go off to broadcast school,  some of the songs my girl friend and me were listening to included:  Heat Of The Moment-Asia,  Crimson and Clover-Joan Jett,  Did It In a Minute-Hall & Oates,  Fantasy-Aldo Nova,  Caught Up In You-.38 Special,  My Girl-Donnie Iris,  Play The Game Tonight-Kansas,  Only The Lonely-The Motels,  Dancing In The Street-Van Halen,  I Found Somebody-Glenn Frey,  and Still They Ride-Journey.  That is a playlist that can help me in my case for '82 being the best year for '80's music.   Saturday night during WRCO's Those Were The Days radio show, you can go back with us to the fifties through the eighties between six and midnight.  The trivia games will highlight our six hour tribute to the best music every pressed on vinyl.  I hope you can join the party on FM 100.9 this weekend.

Phil

In the Summer of 1973 I was employed unloading hay for 25 cents a load.  If we had a good day,  I could afford to blow it all on two 45 records!  There were so many great songs to waste your haying money on during that Summer.  I was still making mix tapes on a reel to reel tape machine.  My cassette recorder was still a year away.  Some of my faves on the radio included:  Little Willy-Sweet,  Stuck In The Middle With You-Stealers Wheel,  The Cisco Kid-War,  No More Mr. Nice Guy-Alice Cooper,  One Of A Kind (Love Affair)-Spinners,  Long Train Running-Doobie Brothers,  Shambala-Three Dog Night,  Kodachrome-Paul Simon,  and Back When My Hair Was Short-Gunhill Road.  What a great time for Top Forty radio!  It was fun to stay up late.  That is when WLS radio out of Chicago came in the best. You could hear them play the most requested songs of the day. They opened the playlist up a little more at night. Although Chicago seemed a million miles a way to a kid in Southwest Wisconsin, it made me feel like I was little cooler because I Iistened.    This week during Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9, I will spin a few of those fantastic 45's that I bought in the Summer of '73.  I will be in the studio to play all of your requests from the fifities through the eighties.  We are lining up some classic trivia questions, so get ready!  

Phil

Saturday night during Those Were The Days, I will be paying tribute to some of the great rock and roll duos.  We could play six hours of songs recorded by a pair of artists through the years.  Hall and Oates have been the most successful during the rock and roll era.  The Everly Brothers were the pioneers of dual harmony with their sibling voices which blended so well.  Other favorite Those Were The Days dous include:  Sam and Dave,  Righteous Brothers,  Carpenters,  Chad and Jeremy,  Peter and Gordon,  Simon and Garfunkel, Sonny and Cher, and Ike and Tina.  During WRCOs'  Those Were The Days we will play all of your favorite requests from the fifties through the eighties.  Ring us up and ask for a dedication.  You can impress your out of town friends when you request a song for them or win a trivia contest.  Keep your social distance and have a great holiday weekend with WRCO FM 100.9.   Thanks for all of the fun last Saturday night.

Phil

This Saturday night on WRCOs'  Those Were The Days, we will fly back to the year of 1960.  Many songs were on the charts that we still play on the radio after all of these years.  Top songs included:  Stuck On You-Elvis,  Cathy's Clown-Everly Brothers,  Lonely Weekends-Charlie Rich,  Wild One-Bobby Rydell,  Finger Poppin' Time-Hank Ballard, and Cherry Pie-Skip and Flip. It will be fun to travel back to a more innocent time.   I will look forward to being back for a live show Saturday night.  We have received good feedback for the show that was on Memorex last weekend.  It was indeed an amazing countdown of essential classic rock songs and there was not a bad one in the bunch.  It was a great family night for me and we even had the radio on for some jams as we social distanced at home.  I was tired and ready for bed by 9:30!  This Saturday I will get my nap and drink a couple of Ski soda pops.  That will keep the rock and roll party going until Midnight.  Perhaps you will win one of the trivia challenges.  Those Were The Days will be heard between six and Midnight this Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9.

Phil

This week on WRCO FM 100.9, I will have the pleasure of counting down the best Classic Rock songs of all time.  I have thousands to back up the 'best' label.  Courtesy of ForgottenHits.com this list was compiled last year.  Here is some of the background from Kent Kotal of F.H.  

as voted on by Classic Rock Fans from all over the country.

When I think of Top Forty music from the early 1970's,  it takes me back to K-tel records. These were greatest hits albums very much like the more recent  Now That's What I Call Music series of current hits collections. K-tel records were advertised an incredible amount on t.v. and available at a few participating stores.  There was no chance for a boy with a rural Richland Center address to get one of those albums.  Almost all the retail places were in the Madison, Wisconisn area such as;  Rennebohm and Rexall Drug Stores, Robert Hall, Wolff- Kubley,  Galaxy Of Sound, and Copps Department Stores.  Fortunately I had first cousins that lived in Madison about two blocks from a Copps store.   It was the greatest day of my life (up to that point) when I got to visit the city of Madison and have a fifteen cent McDonalds cheeseburger, visit the cousins, and buy my first K-tel record album!  It was called Believe In Music and it contained 22 original hits and original stars.  It included the title of the album which was recorded by the group Gallery. Most of the songs were short edits so that they could get that many songs on one album.    If I want to go to my happy place,  I can still put this record on and instantly I am back in the Spring and Summer of 1972. A few years ago,  I made my own copy for a burned cd and used the full length versions of the songs.   This week on my radio show (Those Were The Days),  I will be taking a trip to the Spring of 1972. Our featured group will be Gallery (one of the most played groups of 1972).   WRCO FM 100.9 will be the spot for more music medicine from the fifties through the 1980s.  You can contribute a request and you are wecome to be a part of the trivia contests.  This will be our first show in the month of May and the forecast is favorable for a night to sit under the stars and listen to WRCO FM 100.9 between six and Midnight for Those Were The Days.

Phil-'Connoisseur Of K-tel'

I was able to get my drivers license in early 1980.  Later that year I somehow convinced this young lady to attend prom with me.  My buddy Marty also was able to secure a date. We double dated and as I remember we had a nice night.  Today these two women have gone on to amazing careers and great lives despite bad choices in high school!  Transportation to the big dance was courtesy of mom and dads'  1979 Chevy Impala.  That car had a a great radio (only AM of course).  I remember hearing songs that night such as; Call Me-Blondie,  Ride Like The Wind-Christopher Cross,  Another Brick In the Wall-Pink Floyd,  Fire Lake-Bob Seger, Cars-Gary Numan,  Any Way You Want It-Journey,  Funkytown-Lipps Inc.,  You May Be Right-Billy Joel,  and Train In Vain-The Clash.  All of those are songs that have aged well after forty years!  We will bring back some of those hits this week on Those Were The Days when we flash back to the Spring of 1980. I will not be wearing a tux, however,  I will be in the studio to take your requests and to weave them all together.  Perhaps you will be one of the winners of our trivia games!  Tune in for the great vinyl records of the fifties through the eighties this Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9.    

Phil

Saturday night during Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9, we will fly back fifty years to April of 1970.  The Beatles announced that they were breaking up,  Apollo 13 was flying on fumes back to Earth, and a group originally from Indiana, the Jackson Five, were taking the music world by storm.  The songs emerging from the static on my AM radio included:  Come And Get It-Badfinger,  Spirit In The Sky-Norman Greenbaum,  Vehicle-Ides Of March,  Little Green Bag-George Baker Selection,  and Get Ready-Rare Earth.  It was a great time for Top Forty radio and for the young farm boy to lip sync all the hits to the cows. In the old barn, there was a door in front of the stanshions.  I would pretend that was my stage and the bovines were my audience.  I am sure my dad's milk production went down the mornings and nights that the Phil Nee show was being put on.  I hope you will join our Those Were The Days family this Saturday night between six and midnight.  Music is a great cure for all of the fear and boredom that we are going through.  Take it from me,  Dr. Phil, and we will give you a dose of rock and roll on WRCO FM 100.9 Saturday night.

Phil

Saturday night on FM 100.9,  Those Were The Days will feature a few songs to go along with an Easter theme.  We will feature tunes with ties to candy, eggs,  rabbits, and religion.   We will have another celebration of living which will feature the greatest songs of the fifties through the eighties.  The longer this pandemic goes on, the more we need music and humor.   I will be in the studio Saturday night and we will keep an eye open for the Easter bunny!   Easter weekends back when I was a wee-Nee would bring the family all together at the old farm house.  My aunt and uncle knew that I loved music.  They would always bring me a record as an Easter present.   One year it was Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, another it was the Partridge Family album Up To Date.  Those are great memories.  I have thousands of records, but I remember those two.  I hope to hear from you Saturday night between six and midnight during this weekends Those Were The Days radio show on WRCO FM 100.9.  Stay well!

Phil 

In my sports career I was an all star on the B squad.  In those days the 'A' team was the Varsity,  the 'B' team was the Junior Varsity.  The B team would go in during the last minutes of the game when the A team was getting blown out or was winning (for us that was rare).  The underclassmen would play the early game (a warm up for the main event).    I was also a fan of 45 r.p.m. records.  When I shelled out .78 cents for a popular song,  I wanted the most for my chore money.  If I flipped the record from the popular side to the lesser known hit, I wanted to hear something catchy. My Panasonic stereo had the 45 adaptor that you could put on the spindle.  Up to five 45s could drop down and play one by one.  It was fun to play the 5 A sides and than turn them all over and play all 5 B sides.   Some were better than others.  During this weeks Those Were The Days radio show on WRCO FM 100.9,  I plan to play the B squad!  You will hear a few favorite gems. Some  of my favorites include:  I See The Light-The Music Explosion (B side of Little Bit O' Soul) ,  Summer Wine-Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood (B side of Sugartown),  We Will Rock You-Queen (B side of We Are The Champions),  and Living Loving Maid-Led Zeppelin (B side of Whole Lotta Love).  I will be in the studio to take your requests from the fifties through the eighties this Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9.  Perhaps you can play along with our trivia challenges.  I have found that music is the best medicine during these trying times.  You can escape this 2020 nightmare during Those Were The Days.

Phil

I remember Spring of 1976 very well.  New life was coming to the farm in the Willow Valley.   Favorite hobbies included: riding my three speed down the bumpy gravel road,  listening to my scratchy AM radio late at night under the blankets,  and practicing my favorite sport, ping pong.   Spring hits were blooming on the radio including:  Let Your Love Flow-Bellamy Brothers,  Show Me The Way-Peter Frampton,  Action-The Sweet,  Slow Ride-Foghat,  Right Back Where We Started From-Maxine Nightingale,  and December 1963 (Oh What A Night)-Four Seasons.  When I hear some of these hit songs now,  I am right back there listening for dad to start the tractors in preperation for field work.  Music provided a great escape and during these current times,  I am listening to more that ever.   We had amazing response last Saturday night to our show.  That was the largest amount of requests in a long time.   The good side of this pandemic is the fact that more people are playing cards,  putting together puzzles, reading books, and doing things with family.  I hope everyone stays well and it would be wonderful to talk with you Saturday night during Those Were the Days between six and midnight on WRCO FM 100.9.

Phil

Journey has been one of our most requested groups through the years.  On FM 100.9 Saturday night, I will play a few choice Journey cuts.  We will get some inside info about the groups biggest hits from group member Jonathan Cain.   I will be in the studio to take your fifties through the eighties requests and you could be the winner of a trivia contest!  It is old school radio and I am proud of that!  Our schedule has changed.  The original plan for Saturday night was to feature the Forgotten Hits Essential Classic Rock Top Fifty.  That show will air in the future.  Our families travel plans for the weekend had to change because of the Covid-19 virus.  I will be at the studio and will look forward to talking with you on Saturday night.  That classic rock countdown is going to be awesome and I can't wait for you to hear it.   I will let you know when that will air (most likely whenever the baptism of my new granddaughter can be scheduled again).   Music is a great escape.  That is why I am really looking forward to Saturday nights' Those Were The Days radio show on WRCO FM 100.9 Saturday night.

Phil