On June 15th, the music industry lost one of its most-heard personalities when disc jockey Casey Kasem passed away after a long illness. Many of you will remember Kasem as the voice of the character "Shaggy" on the Scooby Doo series. But for me, he will always be the voice of the weekly Top 40 countdown, "American Top 40".
I had been a fan of top 40 radio since the mid-60's, listening to Musicradio 77, WABC. It was the soundtrack of my childhood. In particular, I loved Cousin Bruce Morrow's top 20 countdown each Tuesday night on that station. I tuned in to see where my favorite songs of the day wound up every week. I soon realized that there was music surveys beyond New York, and in 1968, my Mom worked at a company, Ampeg, in Linden NJ, that makes musical instruments and amplifiers.
As such, she had access to the major trade magazines--Billboard, Cash Box and Record World, and for the next four years, she'd take some copies from the waiting room there and bring them to me. I would eventually subscribe to Record World from 1973 to 1982, when the magazine folded. I then switched to Billboard from then up until 2003.
It was Billboard that would be the basis of the radio show "American Top 40", hosted by Kasem, starting in July of 1970. The next year it would be picked up by top 40 station WPIX. However, it would be another couple of years before I'd become aware of it. A high school friend of mine, Mike Kinasch, told me of a top 40 countdown on 'PIX on Sunday mornings. Finally on January 1973, I listened to Casey countdown the top 40 records of the week. I was hooked.
Through my high school and college years, I listened to the station. At one point I even built my life around it! In the spring semester of 1976, I loved the song "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)" by The Four Seasons. In February, it entered the top 40. The show came on at 9 AM, and I would hear the song, then went on campus for brunch. During the the next couple of month, as it would ascend higher, I would have my breakfast later and later, until finally it was #1, played just before noon!
The New York radio landscape would change over the years, with stations changing formats. "AT40" in New York would move to stations like 99X (WXLO), WNBC-AM, and Z-100 (WHTZ). Of course, it was a national show as well. Casey was known for his "long distance dedications", among other features.
He was an inspiration to me. Although I never professionally went into radio, at the end of every year between 1983 and 2002, I would do my own countdown of my favorite 100 records of each year, playing DJ onto a series of cassette tapes. Perhaps someday I will convert them digitally.
What bother me about his death was when he did pass away, it was overshadowed by issues involving his family. Still he was a legend, and his AT40 shows can be heard on Sirius XM satellite radio, on the "70s on 7" or "80s on 8" depending on the decade.
As Casey said at the end of each show, "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars!".
ON MY CHART: Meanwhile on my countdown, I am up to the later half of June, and "Fever" by The Black Keys holds at #1 for a 7th and 8th week. That breaks the longevity record at the top spot held by "Out of My League" by Fitz & the Tantrums. Of course, you could place an "asterisk" along it, since I have been blogging in two week intervals instead of one. I hope soon to catch up and deliver my blog during the current week again. Many of you encouraged me to reactive it. I know the views have dropped from around 80 or so, to around 20. Hopefully it will rise again. I love music, and have been getting into the new stuff once again. And when a new song you've been playing permeates your head instead of an oldie, you're doing your job.
As for the newbies, I went back and looked at Brian Sniatowski's "song of the week" going back to April. Three of the four debuts have that designation. The Fresh & Onlys lead the list. They were formed in San Francisco in 2008, but they would have formed there forty years earlier. They're are a kind of cross between R.E.M.-style rock and late sixties psychedelic-garage rock. I am hooked on this one; the band is led by Tim Cohen of Black Fiction fame; they have release five albums and three EPs. Their latest is House of Spirits. They visited Brooklyn in July and hopefully will make a return trip soon.
Another Snat find is Jessica Lea Mayfield, who debuts at #73 with "I Wanna Love You". The song starts with a single-tracked guitar with a Debbie Harry type vocal. The vocals and instrumentation are understated through the song, but the sound is persistent throughout. Both this and the Fresh & Only's aren't being played (yet) on alternative radio, but they should. I love that songs like this keep getting released. She was, not surprisingly, discovered by Rich Auerbach of The Black Keys, and you can hear that duo's early sound in her work. Her current album is Make My Head Sing.
Sandwiched in between is the latest from Ok Go. This band from L.A. by way of Chicago has put out some memorable songs, and even more memorable videos. Their fourth album Hungry Ghosts, comes out in October. "The Writings on the Wall" is the lead single from that album. It's a rhythmic venture, kind of an 80's vibe going on as well. Catch them at the Bowery Ballroom in New York on September 19.
Of brief mention is the next highest debut, "Just One of the Guys", by Jenny Lewis, formerly of the band Rilo Kiley. SNS readers, however, probably remember her as half of Jenny and Johnny, a side project of hers, and the song "Big Wave" a top 10 SNS hit a few years back. This is a slow-tempo song, perhaps a bit reminiscent of the Dum Dum Girls or perhaps Poe.
Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100
June 29 - July 6, 2014.
This Week
|
Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
1
|
1
|
THE BLACK KEYS
"Fever"
Album: Turn Blue
(7 Weeks at #1)
|
13
|
2
|
2
|
MS MR - Think of You
|
13
|
3
|
3
|
The Hounds of Winter - Amy's World
|
13
|
4
|
7
|
Mac DeMarco - Chamber of Reflection
|
11
|
5
|
4
|
Junior Prom - Sheila Put the Knife Down
|
13
|
6
|
9
|
Broken Bells - No Matter What You're Told
|
13
|
7
|
16
|
Anna Calvi - Eliza
|
7
|
8
|
5
|
Kings of Leon - Temple
|
30
|
9
|
10
|
Jack White - Lazeretto
|
11
|
10
|
8
|
Foster the People - Coming of Age
|
24
|
11
|
12
|
Lily Allen - Hard Out Here
|
9
|
12
|
13
|
Terraplane Sun - You Never Know
|
11
|
13
|
14
|
SomeKindaWonderful - Reverse
|
9
|
14
|
21
|
Foster the People - Best Friend
|
7
|
15
|
22
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
CALVIN HARRIS
"Summer"
(Single Only)
|
7
|
16
|
6
|
Pharrell Williams - Happy
|
19
|
17
|
11
|
Lucius - Turn It Around
|
28
|
18
|
18
|
Lykke Li - No Rest of the Wicked
|
9
|
19
|
20
|
Boyce Avenue - I'll Be the One
|
11
|
20
|
33
|
Avi Buffalo - So What
|
3
|
21
|
35
|
Hozier - Take Me To Church
|
5
|
22
|
17
|
Young the Giant - Crystallized
|
13
|
23
|
37
|
Tacocat - Bridge to Hawaii
|
5
|
24
|
24
|
Arctic Monkeys - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High
|
11
|
25
|
41
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS
"6 AM"
Album: More Than Just A Dream
|
3
|
26
|
27
|
Lana Del Rey - West Coast
|
9
|
27
|
26
|
Kongos - Come With Me Now
|
22
|
28
|
15
|
Cage the Elephant - Take It or Leave It
|
17
|
29
|
19
|
Hospitality - Going Out
|
22
|
30
|
31
|
Afghan Whigs - Algiers
|
15
|
31
|
23
|
Zedd f. Hayley Williams - Stay the Night
|
24
|
32
|
30
|
Temples - Shelter Song
|
23
|
33
|
25
|
Fitz and the Tantrums - The Walker
|
34
|
34
|
29
|
Young the Giant - It's About Time
|
31
|
35
|
36
|
No - Leave the Door Wide Open
|
15
|
36
|
50
|
Vampire Weekend - Step
|
3
|
37
|
56
|
Vivian Girls - Take It As It Comes
|
3
|
38
|
58
|
Maroon 5 - Maps
|
3
|
39
|
28
|
Rachel Allyn- Triggerman
|
22
|
40
|
34
|
Silversun Pickups - Cannibal
|
23
|
41
|
43
|
Kings of Leon - Wait For Me
|
9
|
42
|
48
|
Phantogram - Nothing But Trouble
|
7
|
43
|
49
|
Damien Jurado - Silver Timothy
|
13
|
44
|
32
|
Tired Pony - All Things All At Once
|
32
|
45
|
47
|
Chromeo - Jealous
|
13
|
46
|
53
|
Man Man - Loot My Body
|
5
|
47
|
45
|
Bleachers - I Wanna Get Better
|
15
|
48
|
63
|
Ray LaMontagna - Supernova
|
5
|
49
|
52
|
Paramore - Ain't It Fun
|
9
|
50
|
62
|
Lorde - Glory and Gore
|
5
|
51
|
44
|
Wild Club - Thunder Clatter
|
26
|
52
|
55
|
Band of Skulls - Hoochie Coochie
|
11
|
53
|
60
|
Nico & Vinz - Am I Wrong
|
7
|
54
|
61
|
Dirty Heads - My Sweet Summer
|
5
|
55
|
67
|
Caveman - In the City
|
3
|
56
|
51
|
Bear Hands - Giants
|
19
|
57
|
40
|
Avicii - Hey Brother
|
23
|
58
|
75
|
Rachel Allyn - Restless Times Call for Reckless Measures
|
3
|
59
|
38
|
Phantogram - Fall in Love
|
26
|
60
|
74
|
The Orwells - Who Needs You
|
7
|
61
|
65
|
Brick + Mortar - Locked In A Cage
|
22
|
62
|
39
|
Sleeper Agent - Waves
|
17
|
63
|
68
|
Capital Cities - One Minute More
|
5
|
64
|
42
|
Haim - Forever
|
33
|
65
|
57
|
Temples - Keep In the Dark
|
19
|
66
|
66
|
Haim - Falling
|
7
|
67
|
46
|
Caveman - Shut You Down
|
31
|
68
|
73
|
Idina Menzel - Let It Go
|
9
|
69
|
76
|
The Neighbourhood - Let It Go
|
5
|
70
|
69
|
Katy Perry - Birthday
|
7
|
71
|
----
|
TOP DEBUT:
 THE FRESH & ONLYS "Animal of One" Album: House of Spirits |
1
|
72
|
----
|
OK Go - The Writing's on the Wall
|
1
|
73
|
86
|
Phillip Phillips - Reging Fire
|
3
|
74
|
----
|
Jessica Lea Mayfield - I Wanna Love You
|
1
|
75
|
82
|
The Head and the Heart - Another Story
|
5
|
76
|
72
|
Vance Joy - Riptide
|
24
|
77
|
81
|
The War on Drugs - Red Eyes
|
9
|
78
|
84
|
Ingrid Michaelson - Girls Chase Boys
|
7
|
79
|
----
|
Jenny Lewis - Just One of the Guys
|
1
|
80
|
54
|
Wild Belle - It's Too Late
|
22
|
81
|
64
|
Cherub - Doses and Mimosas
|
15
|
82
|
----
|
Meg Myers - Desire
|
1
|
83
|
59
|
Hellogoodbye - Everything Is Debatable
|
26
|
84
|
85
|
The Pretty Reckless - Heaven Knows
|
7
|
85
|
----
|
Kongos - I'm Only Joking
|
1
|
86
|
----
|
Jungle - Time
|
1
|
87
|
71
|
Capital Cities - Kangaroo Court
|
29
|
88
|
83
|
Cloud Nothings - I'm Not Part of Me
|
15
|
89
|
89
|
Sam Smith - Stay With Me
|
3
|
90
|
----
|
Broods - Bridges
|
1
|
91
|
70
|
Shannon Marsyada Trio - What You Do To Me
|
33
|
92
|
80
|
Big Data - Dangerous
|
11
|
93
|
----
|
St. Vincent - Bridges
|
1
|
94
|
----
|
Milky Chance - Stolen Dance
|
1
|
95
|
----
|
Iggy Azalea - Fancy
|
1
|
96
|
79
|
Chvrches - Recover
|
9
|
97
|
95
|
Alt J - Tesselate
|
31
|
98
|
78
|
Hospitality - Rockets and Jets
|
19
|
99
|
88
|
Zedd f. Foxes - Clarity
|
41
|
100
|
77
|
Birdy - Skinny Love
|
22
|
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