***A note to air check traders. Please do not record these air checks and try and trade. I have the original tapes many of which I recorded myself and thus the authenticity can not be in doubt and can be easily traced.

Scott Muni was on New York radio for almost 50 years. He began as a Top 40 DJ and in 1966 he became a radio pioneer at proto free form WOR FM in New York. He moved to WNEW in late 1967 and and the station became the first real progressive station in the city and one of the earliest in the country.

This air check is from Nov 4 1980 election day. The station by that time was starting to move to a more conventional AOR format but could still be counted on for some element of musical diversity and surprise as you will hear on this.

I still have a second part of this broadcast to upload in the future plus more including a clip from the vintage free form era. WNEW was an important part of the NY rock ‘n roll scene and you get a glimpse of that in these air checks.

Listen to both clips in the Radio Miscellany section of the site.

***A note to air check traders. Please do not record these air checks and try and trade. I have the original tapes many of which I recorded myself and thus the authenticity can not be in doubt and can be easily traced.

Another fantastic set from the WBCN series. The first clip features Charles Laquidara from January 16, 1971. He can be heard playing the new ELP track  Lucky Man as it was released. This is the second air check on the site to feature that album at release time. David Pritchard from CHUM FM being the first. WBCN must have worn out it’s copies of The Notorious Byrd Brothers album as can be heard on this air check. I believe the flaws are more than just tape distortion. The set starts with the Cat and Dog Report and into some folk by way of Tom Rush and Fred Neil. This segment  continues on a clip I posted earlier which can be heard here

The second clip is a continuation of Charles playing the Stones because he could and not because it was a special. The first half of that was uploaded earlier this year.  Highlight for me from this segment is Mick’s “Memo from Turner”  an old FM staple from the Performance soundtrack with slide guitar played by Ry Cooder.

Quality is better on the Stones segment. Still more to come on the site from the great WBCN FM. The content guaranteed not to disappoint.

***A note to air check traders. Please do not record these air checks and try and trade. I have the original tapes many of which I recorded myself and thus the authenticity can not be in doubt and can be easily traced.

Clips feature DJ Larry Sharp on Seattle’s KISW FM from the late summer of 1981. Most of the programming comes from a show called “Sunday Night Oldies” and you will hear some cuts that are rarely played on the radio now. KISW’s regular AOR programming is heard during the last 15 minutes of the first clip.

Another great set of music as played on KOME FM in 1979 during their” LBJ years” weekend special. You will hear the Doors,  The Steve Miller Band,  Jethro Tull,  Lee Michaels and a lot more.  The DJ’s include Jim Seagull into “Kelly” about a quarter way into the second clip. There`s a few diversions from the usual classic rock fare to keep things interesting for fans of free form.

I have some idea about the Canadian network or station this broadcast originated on but am not 100 % sure. The show is called Grapevine from October 1972. The host Doug Aldridge sounds like a broadcast professional. The format is progressive rock but highligting new or recent releases. The track played by Cream is older but it comes from a 1972 compilation.

Roxy music was not widely played at the time but you will hear them here. The set opens with a progressive staple called Deteriorate by National Lampoon . The host can be forgiven for calling Pure Prairie League a Canadian group as the album played was recorded in Toronto. The bassist mentioned as a member of the group was not but rather a studio hand. Clapton cohort Bobby Whitlock can be heard on a solo version of Tell The Truth.

https://youtu.be/y8DJP6XYGDQ

***A note to air check traders. Please do not record these air checks and try and trade. I have the original tapes many of which I recorded myself and thus the authenticity can not be in doubt and can be easily traced.

Seattle’s KISW FM switched to progressive rock 1971 and became a competitor to city’s original prog rocker KOL FM. This air check from August of 1981 finds the station as an AOR outlet but some nuggets from the free form era are featured. The first clip features DJ Dan Wilkie on a program called “Sunday Night Oldies.” The tracks featured are mostly FM oldies but the Pacific Northwest’s Paul Revere and the Raiders can be heard with their version of Louie Louie. You will also hear The Who from the Smothers’ Brother’s show and an ad for the upcoming Kinks concert.

Canadian DJ Terry David Mulligan is heard on an ad for the Gap. No idea about the backgroud on that except perhaps he may have been known in Washington state due to his work on Canadian TV in British Columbia.

The second clip has an outro from an ACDC concert and some trivia and music from Seattle’s Jimi Hendrix. I have more from KISW FM to post in the future.

The mystery of the DJ on the second clip has been solved by reader and listener Craig Thomas and here’s what he said  “The DJ in the bottom aircheck is Steve Slaton, he worked the 6 pm to 9 pm slot.  He started at the station in the early 70’s and was there about 20 years.  He’s been on a couple other stations in the area as well.”

A big thank you to Craig !

***A note to air check traders. Please do not record these air checks and try and trade. I have the original tapes many of which I recorded myself and thus the authenticity can not be in doubt and can be easily traced.

The first clip is part two of the WQBK upload and the second clip includes a combination of parts one and two.  The first was played on an AKAI 4000DS MK2  reel to reel and the second on an AKAI 270D. The first player, a common workhorse model, is one that I have used most often on this site. The second player is one with glass heads. Let me know via email if one player sounds better than the other.

Gary Santucci on free form WQBK from Albany NY. with more to come in the future. The variety of the free form format on full display.

***A note to air check traders. Please do not record these air checks and try and trade. I have the original tapes many of which I recorded myself and thus the authenticity can not be in doubt and can be easily traced.

When I started this web site I wanted to highlight tapes I had recorded my self for various reasons including for listening to at the family summer cottage where FM reception was poor. In the case of the Oil of Dog Tapes and some others it was to preserve programming that I knew to be on the way out and not likely to be heard on commercial radio again.

Over the years I have also collected tapes and have been  using some of that material. This is one such tape and it includes about three hours from a station from upstate NY near Albany recorded on October 18, 1976. The free form format was starting to morph into AOR at the time but this small market station retained elements of free form and  that makes for a great listen. The DJ is Gary  Santucci  and I have more of his great show to upload in the future.