John Battles: I admit, I haven't read the article in a long time, but I could have sworn that Cary mentioned Kramer and Thunders in that piece. It was some artist who, as of summer '79, was too hip for the album rock stations, and my friend couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sky Daniels was the DJ's name, and he was also the program director. I just found an online interview with Daniels, and he basically backs up what I was saying. He claims that "in the beginning," he actually snuck the likes of Ian Dury and Lene Lovich onto the Loop airwaves, but the higher-ups insisted that he stick with bad arena rock. The suits won that battle, obviously.

As far as WXRT, Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds were quintessential XRT artists, and I wouldn't be surprised if their Park West gig were dusted off for rebroadcast some sweet day. When Rockpile's one and only album came out, XRT is the only station I remember playing it.

For the same reason , WXRT won't play the SAVAGE Rockpile set from The Park West , Chicago , on their concert series program ,  where they play repeats of live concerts from the vaults. There's too much Poi Dog Pondering and Blind Melon to make room for it.

Wayne Kramer only had one 45 out , really , after he got out of jail in the Late 70's , his version of "The Harder They Come", maybe they thought they had a local hit on their hands , or at least some time filler that rocked good enuff , but probably would'nt offend that many people. Then again, the thought of Thunders getting airplay at all in Chicago....wow. His first album had some sorta radio - friendly tracks (No pun.) , but, it's interesting to note that Gang War debuted at Huey's in Chicago , but , they could'nt get themselves together long enough to release a single.
 
James Porter said:

(1) Trivia note: the first time I heard Dr. Demento's program, the first song he played that night was the Novas'"The Crusher." I almost died laughing. I had just turned eleven.

(2) From fall '78-spring '80, Dr. D ruled my world. Then, by accident, I found out that a local Top 40 station (WEFM) was running a Sunday night oldies show, and for a while I went back and forth between Dr. D playing "Dead Puppies" and Dan Walker playing Blue Cheer's "Summertime Blues" (first time hearing it, and my mind was blown). Novelty and comedy records may have rocked my world for an adolescent minute, but the older I got, the more I wanted to hear some real music. I can dig humor, but I can respect Spike Jones more than I actually want to listen to him. I do thank Dr. D for making me a teenage fan of Cheech & Chong...

(3) Actually, the period of experimentation for The Loop was just starting to kick in around the time of Disco Demolition. Just because they might have played Kramer once doesn't mean he stayed on the list. But, this was 1979; playing power-pop alongside meathead hard rockers was what they settled on once the smoke cleared, and was supposed to be the sign of a new era or something. For the remainder of '79 and all of 1980, that was the basic sound of WLUP. If your band was on a major label and was imitating the Cars, you were guaranteed Loop airplay at the time. I stopped listening in early '81 after they canned Steve and Garry (the first time); the Loop is still an FM rock station, but if you call the request line asking to hear the Records'"Starry Eyes," Dave Edmunds'"Girls Talk," or the Inmates'"Dirty Water," I doubt if they'll play them (or even know what the hell you were talking about). Those songs were definitely part of the rotation in 1980, however.  


 
John Battles said:

When I was visiting in Chicago in the Summer of '79 , The Disco Demolition had just happened , AND The Knack just broke. So , maybe , The Loop's  period of experimentation was about over . The most adventuresome thing I remember hearing on WLUP was ZZ Top. I did hear "Blockhead" by Devo on WXRT , and even tho' I knew who Devo were , I knew I was'nt going to be hearing THEM back in Texas......at least , I did'nt , until "Jerking Back and Forth" (A minor hit.) and "Whip It". I crashed out to "Dr. Demento" , Sunday nights , in the Late 70's , too , but , when George Gimarc's show got my ear , "Dead Puppies" had to GO. However, they started playing Dr. Demento in the early 80's , I think , on Saturday afternoon. That was when I first heard "The Crusher" by The Novas. I knew The Cramps' version, but, I thought , "My God ! This guy sounds like he's choking to death on his own vomit !! THIS is Hardcore.") 
 
James Porter said:

John - the second issue of Kicks (from 1979) included an article on 60s Chicago bands by my friend Cary Baker. Before he launched into the past, he included a quick sum-up of the present, talking about how The Loop had started beefing up their playlist with punk and new wave oriented acts, like Wayne Kramer and Johnny Thunders (!!!). This, coupled with the Disco Demolition event, looked like Chicago rock radio was about to enter a renaissance. Now, Baker laughs at how tame the Loop was - sure, they embraced the New Music, but wouldn't go but so far. Still, at the time, playing Patti Smith and Talking Heads next to Molly Hatchet and Van Halen seemed like a major coup. If Wayne Kramer got played, it was probably during an early period of experimentation where they were trying to find out what stuck and what slid. Evidently Kramer and Thunders' music slid straight to the floor while the Knack got all the gravy. As far as Sunday nights at 11 PM, in Chicago that was Dr. Demento time. How I awoke in time for school the next morning, I'll never know, but at least I went to sleep laughing.

really stupid but,

when I was a kid I really LOVED Michael Jackson, and he had the song "give in to me" with Slash from Guns n Roses, so I asked my dad to buy me a Guns n Roses cd, and he bought me the Spaghetti Incident, needless to say a ten year old hearing a song with the opening line "ATTITUDE, YOU GOT SOME FUCKING ATTITUDE", was pretty blown away, and by the time I was 11, The Misfits were my favourite band, for a while I was mostly listening to the misfits, and everyone at my school was into rock music and skateboarding suddenly, the whole 2001-2002 popular rock/metal/pop punk bands, and being 11/12 I wanted to fit in with them, but then suddenly everyone stopped listening to that stuff and I didn't, so I continued just listening to mostly mainstream rock bands, still with the misfits as my favourite bands I got into Black Flag, and other u.s. hardcore bands, and the Tony Hawk's skateboarding video games had  great soundtracks too I'd end up looking up all these bands on the internet and finding out as much as I could about them. After hearing all these bands it's hard to see the appeal of what you'd hear on a mainstream rock music station..

started spending more and more time finding bands, and going to gigs, and making the best of friends over this music.

(1) Trivia note: the first time I heard Dr. Demento's program, the first song he played that night was the Novas'"The Crusher." I almost died laughing. I had just turned eleven.

(2) From fall '78-spring '80, Dr. D ruled my world. Then, by accident, I found out that a local Top 40 station (WEFM) was running a Sunday night oldies show, and for a while I went back and forth between Dr. D playing "Dead Puppies" and Dan Walker playing Blue Cheer's "Summertime Blues" (first time hearing it, and my mind was blown). Novelty and comedy records may have rocked my world for an adolescent minute, but the older I got, the more I wanted to hear some real music. I can dig humor, but I can respect Spike Jones more than I actually want to listen to him. I do thank Dr. D for making me a teenage fan of Cheech & Chong...

(3) Actually, the period of experimentation for The Loop was just starting to kick in around the time of Disco Demolition. Just because they might have played Kramer once doesn't mean he stayed on the list. But, this was 1979; playing power-pop alongside meathead hard rockers was what they settled on once the smoke cleared, and was supposed to be the sign of a new era or something. For the remainder of '79 and all of 1980, that was the basic sound of WLUP. If your band was on a major label and was imitating the Cars, you were guaranteed Loop airplay at the time. I stopped listening in early '81 after they canned Steve and Garry (the first time); the Loop is still an FM rock station, but if you call the request line asking to hear the Records'"Starry Eyes," Dave Edmunds'"Girls Talk," or the Inmates'"Dirty Water," I doubt if they'll play them (or even know what the hell you were talking about). Those songs were definitely part of the rotation in 1980, however.  


 
John Battles said:

When I was visiting in Chicago in the Summer of '79 , The Disco Demolition had just happened , AND The Knack just broke. So , maybe , The Loop's  period of experimentation was about over . The most adventuresome thing I remember hearing on WLUP was ZZ Top. I did hear "Blockhead" by Devo on WXRT , and even tho' I knew who Devo were , I knew I was'nt going to be hearing THEM back in Texas......at least , I did'nt , until "Jerking Back and Forth" (A minor hit.) and "Whip It". I crashed out to "Dr. Demento" , Sunday nights , in the Late 70's , too , but , when George Gimarc's show got my ear , "Dead Puppies" had to GO. However, they started playing Dr. Demento in the early 80's , I think , on Saturday afternoon. That was when I first heard "The Crusher" by The Novas. I knew The Cramps' version, but, I thought , "My God ! This guy sounds like he's choking to death on his own vomit !! THIS is Hardcore.") 
 
James Porter said:

John - the second issue of Kicks (from 1979) included an article on 60s Chicago bands by my friend Cary Baker. Before he launched into the past, he included a quick sum-up of the present, talking about how The Loop had started beefing up their playlist with punk and new wave oriented acts, like Wayne Kramer and Johnny Thunders (!!!). This, coupled with the Disco Demolition event, looked like Chicago rock radio was about to enter a renaissance. Now, Baker laughs at how tame the Loop was - sure, they embraced the New Music, but wouldn't go but so far. Still, at the time, playing Patti Smith and Talking Heads next to Molly Hatchet and Van Halen seemed like a major coup. If Wayne Kramer got played, it was probably during an early period of experimentation where they were trying to find out what stuck and what slid. Evidently Kramer and Thunders' music slid straight to the floor while the Knack got all the gravy. As far as Sunday nights at 11 PM, in Chicago that was Dr. Demento time. How I awoke in time for school the next morning, I'll never know, but at least I went to sleep laughing.

When I was visiting in Chicago in the Summer of '79 , The Disco Demolition had just happened , AND The Knack just broke. So , maybe , The Loop's  period of experimentation was about over . The most adventuresome thing I remember hearing on WLUP was ZZ Top. I did hear "Blockhead" by Devo on WXRT , and even tho' I knew who Devo were , I knew I was'nt going to be hearing THEM back in Texas......at least , I did'nt , until "Jerking Back and Forth" (A minor hit.) and "Whip It". I crashed out to "Dr. Demento" , Sunday nights , in the Late 70's , too , but , when George Gimarc's show got my ear , "Dead Puppies" had to GO. However, they started playing Dr. Demento in the early 80's , I think , on Saturday afternoon. That was when I first heard "The Crusher" by The Novas. I knew The Cramps' version, but, I thought , "My God ! This guy sounds like he's choking to death on his own vomit !! THIS is Hardcore.") 
 
James Porter said:

John - the second issue of Kicks (from 1979) included an article on 60s Chicago bands by my friend Cary Baker. Before he launched into the past, he included a quick sum-up of the present, talking about how The Loop had started beefing up their playlist with punk and new wave oriented acts, like Wayne Kramer and Johnny Thunders (!!!). This, coupled with the Disco Demolition event, looked like Chicago rock radio was about to enter a renaissance. Now, Baker laughs at how tame the Loop was - sure, they embraced the New Music, but wouldn't go but so far. Still, at the time, playing Patti Smith and Talking Heads next to Molly Hatchet and Van Halen seemed like a major coup. If Wayne Kramer got played, it was probably during an early period of experimentation where they were trying to find out what stuck and what slid. Evidently Kramer and Thunders' music slid straight to the floor while the Knack got all the gravy. As far as Sunday nights at 11 PM, in Chicago that was Dr. Demento time. How I awoke in time for school the next morning, I'll never know, but at least I went to sleep laughing.

That's a great story.

Xeno said:

I was about 11-12 years old and whilst rummaging around our garage (seems apt) I found the 'too drunk too fuck' single that was my old man's, I laughed and thought Jesus fuck I gotta hear that! I thought it was hilarious and searched for more and more and more....

Wait, there are bands that aren't lo-fi, no budget these days?! Jaykay. I don't know what "qualifies" that, but Lantern from Philly just played here and it was seriously hands down one of the best R&R shows this college town has had in quite some time, not *just* for a touring act on a weeknight either. Total house show vibes.

http://lantern.bandcamp.com/

Whoever mentioned the Pack, yes!!!!!!!

British band called Malachai. Check'em out. Influenced by everything we love

Loverly!

Big Muff or RAT every time

Thanks for this awesome facts. The idea of this thread comes from a conversation my friend had with Anton Newcombe in Berlin. He was dissing MC5 and hailing The Stooges. So I guessed there had to be some beef between this groups back in the day in Detroit. 

John Battles said:

would either of'em remember to turn up? If beiber and Timberlake had a scrap, i'd pay top dollar for that. Wouldn't give a fuck who won, just as long as I saw the two of'em kick the shit outta each other.... We all win, Yay! Go Us!

Yeah, Stooges.

"Their politics were more Oaxacan" , that's pretty funny. I wonder if some people took that to mean "Wow, these guys have studied the Indigenous peoples of Mexico " , or.....

" PFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTT......HEUUHHH ! KOFF ! KOFF ! Up in smoke , that's where my money goes.....in my lungs , and , sometimes up my nose....HEUUGHHH !!!"
 
G. Wood said:

They didn't have any guns or bombs, and as the big Rolling Stone article said back then, their politics were more Oaxacan than...er revolution? Whatever, I don't remember, exactly. 

Oops. Mixed it up with "all around the world". Sorry, and glad you caught that.

If Titus Turner recorded "Fever," I never heard it, but he didn't write it. That was penned by Eddie Cooley and "John Davenport" (actually Otis Blackwell under an assumed name).

Right. Little Willie John had The R'n'B hit , and Peggy Lee had The Pop hit , which was huge.

I think The Cramps drew more from Elvis' great version , but , I dunno.
 
the Record Detective said:

Titus Turner wrote and released Fever. I have not heard that particular version, but have little willie john, little milton and long john hunter.

Titus Turner wrote and released Fever. I have not heard that particular version, but have little willie john, little milton and long john hunter.

La Luz are awesome! worth checking out Teen Velvettes, The Bell Peppers(me), Spring King, Beach skulls, The Group sound. also Messa chups have gone well surf these days...

you have me curious now! (i bet it does beat the original)

dave said:

Shit, Youtube deleted the Oblivions cover (it's on Popular Favorites)

Good cover indeed!
The drums is so straight! remind me a german battle tank, a Panzer, somehow!;) 

Andy Climax said:

Better than the original? More punk definitely. Best of all.... She's Scottish, haha. Amazing stuff

Ha ha, to make a complete fool of myself??  
FORGET IT!!! ;P

John Battles said:

NO , PLEASE ! DO !!!   We're laughing WITH you , not at you.
 
Tersicore said:

Ha ha, i always mishear something, so i better don´t even start to tell... ;D

NO , PLEASE ! DO !!!   We're laughing WITH you , not at you.
 
Tersicore said:

Ha ha, i always mishear something, so i better don´t even start to tell... ;D

Ha ha, i always mishear something, so i better don´t even start to tell... ;D

Ha Ha . Thank you , Erik. I was beginning to think I should clean out some of the cobwebs , here.... See Bat Nine. HA HA. CLOSE ENOUGH.

Of course , nobody got "Paranoia Thee Destroyer!" right in the states , because we generally don't pronounce "The" with a hard "E" .