Another AT40 question

Listening to AT40 on XM online, I'm hearing the 10/13/73 week (which also happens to be the week syndicated to radio this weekend). So I'm listening at #35 for Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross' "You're A Special Part Of Me," and what I heard was actually the B-side of that song ("I'm Falling In Love With You"). So what I'm wondering is whether the syndicated version also features that restoration error.

So what you're saying is that the original broadcast had the wrong record played?

Seems kind of odd.

sriv94 wrote: So what you're saying is that the original broadcast had the wrong record played? Seems kind of odd.

maciav wrote: Sirius/XM, however, really does a hatchet job on the shows, basically editing out everything except Casey talking and the songs. The show lengths are greatly reduced on Sirius/XM.

I understand why Premiere would cut some of those extra features (In fact, it looks like the shows were reformatted into 8 segments per hour, vs. 6 as originally aired in the '70s -- this seems to allow stations to drop some of the really forgotten songs.) But I've definitely heard long-distance dedications and "flashback" tracks on the satellite reruns.

I think the show lengths on Sirius/XM are shortened largely by removing the commercial breaks. Remember, the original shows - with commercial breaks/avails - were only 3 hours until ~1978, so removing the commercials, the 3-hour shows are <2:30, and 4-hour shows are only about 3:00-3:15 long. You can compare the Sirius/XM shows to the original cue sheets at charismusicgroup.com.

By the way, Sirius/XM's "80s on 8" channel has dropped AT40 in favor of a countdown produced by their own jocks, the old MTV VJs. The '70s shows are still on "70s on 7."

Edited by eric_a

To 'bwolfe':

While I won't argue your estimation that the "average listener would tune out", I am under the impression that people tune IN to the reruns of Casey to hear a snapshot of the way it really was.

Keep in mind that the "extremely obscure songs on the show" are only obscure because highly formatted terrestrial retro-radio ("Oldies", Jammin' Oldies, Classic Rock et al.) has forgotton them on purpose, therefore the average (younger) listener won't know them irrespective of their impact at the time or their sales.

Citing this past weekends AT-40 rerun, "Jesse" (Roberta Flack) is an incredible Janis Ian song, "Jimmy Loves Mary Anne (Looking Glass) was played heavily on TM's 'Stereo Rock' format, "Ecstacy" (Ohio Players) sold a ton of singles.

The classic American Top-40 shows keep some of these songs from being totally obliterated to the average oldies radio listener, and that's a good thing.

Andy