Top Forty Radio-1974

In September 1974 I was getting on the bus with my new school pants and a rugby shirt that looked like what the kids on the PBS program 'Zoom'  were wearing.  It was a great time to be living.  The music on Top Forty radio stations was the soundtrack to our lives.  Some of my favorite September songs from '74 were the following: The Night Chicago Died-Paper Lace,  Clap For The Wolfman-Guess Who,  It's Only Rock n' Roll-Rolling Stones,  Tell Me Something Good-Rufus,  Who Do You Think You Are?-Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods,  Another Saturday Night-Cat Stevens,  Can't Get Enough-Bad Company,  You Little Trustmaker-The Tymes, and Beach Baby-First Class.  While attempting to do my home work in the middle bedroom at the old farm house, I would have the radio tuned to my favorite songs.  With the metal clothes hanger antenna bent just right, I could get FM stations for the first time in my life.  A brand new Madison Top Forty was debuting that fall and it was called Z-104. WRCO AM/FM  featured a rock and roll format after 7 pm and it was called Music Scene.  For a small town station, they played some cool tunes.  Far away AM stations could be heard later in the evening.  It was cool to hear what was hot on KAAY- Little Rock,  WLS-Chicago, and CKLW-Windsor, Canada.  WISM AM 1480 out of Madison was a very good station.  They had a great play list that did not always follow the national trends. I could get them on the old tube radio in the barn.  The cows were rocking back and forth!   Unfortunately that station lowered power at 6:45 pm and I would lose their signal right in the middle of Rock Me Gently by Andy Kim (or any other current hit of the day).  

We will attempt to recreate some of that 1974 magic on WRCO FM 100.9 this Saturday night during Those Were The Days.  You can request a song and challenge yourself with trivia.   I will be in the studio to play the best of the fifties through the eighties between six and Midnight.  Be one of the cool kids and join the party!

Phil