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ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

I thought I would start a dedicated thread for this even though it has been mentioned elsewhere, really so that hopefully people can have a dialogue similar to that on the older POTP thread

I was very pleased to hear that the first hour today was devoted to this week's chart in 1969 - my favourite year although many of the tracks played were not that well known including an Elvis one I don't even remember
Jensen's presentation was much better and more natural than last week - perhaps he was just suffering a bit from first time nerves

Incidentally I seem to recall yesterday on SOTS the Foundations track 'In the Bad Bad old Days' was played and we were told it was the last of their hits but today Jensen played it and said it was the fifth of their six hits and I was fairly certain they had one in 1970 so I think SOTS might have got it wrong
Could our resident Mr Swern of this forum (otherwise known as Ron) offer any clarification on this point?

The second year today was 1972 which was generally fairly boring with another Elvis track I did not recall but there were some snippets of worthwhile stuff including a lesser known track by Labi Siffre and the Olivia Newton John hit version of George Harrison's 'What is Life' rarely played on radio these days not to mention the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards version of Amazing Grace which sent my dog mad as she hates bagpipes

Incidentally I know that quite a lot of people here, for reasons which I will never understand, seem to prefer the alternate output offered by Radio 2 on early Sunday evenings
Might I suggest that in these circumstances anyone with a Sky Plus box can record the Double Chart Show (Sky Channel 0128) and listen later or of course you could listen live to Smooth and go to the I Player for the Radio 2 stuff

Please don't think I'm trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs (they both sadly passed away in 1960) but it would be nice to have feedback from other people on this topic
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Schizoidman · Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Posts: 1140 Location: Rural West Sussex

Ruddles: I suppose they're both right. I've just consulted my Bible the Guinness hit singles: In Those Bad Bad Old Days was their last BIG hit. Apparently they had a small hit in Sept 69 which reached no 46!

I will give the show a listen but am often out on Sundays.

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Today's charts were from 1974 and 1979
Nothing very spectacular in either but it was interesting that the 1974 chart included a track by Gary Glitter at number 8 (going down) and also a track by The Glitter Band at number 4 (going up but only by one place)
Neither were played

As I am a member of the Smooth listeners panel I have tonight sent an e mail to the Smooth programme controller asking what GMG's policy is in respect of such mattersand whether there is any ban on Glitter Band tracks

I will post further information as soon as I receive a reply
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ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Following my previous post today I received an e mail from Steve Collins who is programme controller for Smooth but who from time to time also presents himself on the station

He told me that there is no ban on Glitter Band tracks on Smooth as long as they are seperate and distinct from the output of Gary Glitter but that all music played on the Double Top Twenty Show is subject to vetting as to suitability,quality and whether it fits the 'style' of the station

He goes on to say that because of this there will be other tracks by other artists which will not be played purely because they do not fit the style criteria so I think it is fair to say that the range of music played is never going to be as wide as on POTP but at least I have managed to get a straight answer with regard to the specific issue I raised which is often more than can be said for Radio 2 and I will continue to listen in the knowledge that there are the stated limitations
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ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Following my last post I was interested to note that today when the year 1972 was covered Smooth played both 'Run Run Run' by Jo Jo Gunne and 'Tumbling Dice' by The Rolling Stones neither of which I would have thought fitted their station profile in terms of music played

Me thinks Mr Collins is talking bull---- but I was slightly more polite when I raised the matter with him

When 1980 was featured in the second hour they did play a great Kate Bush track rarely heard on radio but it's so unknown I've forgotten the title but I think it was her third single

No doubt Avid can enlighten us
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aviddiva

I'm guessing the 1980 Kate Bush track was 'Breathing'.
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ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

That was it Avid

I don't think I've ever heard that particular single played on Radio 2 or anywhere else since the original release date

A really good track I think
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ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Well folks, it had to happen sooner or later didn't it?

I switched on POTP yesterday for the second hour of 1986 and missed nearly all of it because of some very annoying person on the phone so I thought today that I'd get properly organised and earmark an hour this afternoon to listen on I Player which I duly did

Then I switched on Smooth at 6pm as usual and guess what years they were covering - 1977 and yes 1986

Not only was it the very same year I'd just listened to on I Player, it was virtually the same tracks as played on Radio 2 yesterday

I guess because these shows are prepared so far in advance neither can change the year at the last moment to avoid a clash but sometimes isn't life just so damned annoying Mad

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ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

I don't believe it - it's happened again this weekend

POTP yesterday second hour 1972
Smooth today first hour 1972

Surely there could be some kind of liason between the two so this situation does not arise
If people want to hear the tracks from 1972 they can listen on I Player for the next week and again a virtually identical selection of tracks was played

I was having a good day until then Mad

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ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

As you know I'm a regular listener to the show but the second year covered this evening which was 1966 really got me thinking

Tracks included

Walk With Me - The Seekers
Another Tear Falls - The Walker Brothers
All I See Is You - Dusty Springfield
Lady Godiva - Peter and Gordon

And that made me think how right I am to be constantly banging on about the abysmal selection of tracks played by SOTS every Saturday

I can't recall ever hearing any one of those four tracks on there even though they were all massive hit records and there must be hundreds or even thousands of others which we never hear

If a commercial station can play them isn't it about time SOTS made some effort to do the same instead of pandering to the producer's interest in obscure American rubbish Sad

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Schizoidman · Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Posts: 1140 Location: Rural West Sussex

I don't think any of those four were 'massive' hits, Ruddles, but yes I agree that SOTS should really play fewer obscure American B-sides from 1961.

Having said that, SOTS is always worth listening to.

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Well Schiz I suppose the word 'massive' might be a bit over the top but they were all tracks in the Top Twenty 46 years ago this week so surely must have justified being played on SOTS at least once in the last twenty years Smile

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Schizoidman · Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Posts: 1140 Location: Rural West Sussex

I've never heard of 'Walk With Me' by The Seekers, although by a big coincidence there was a programme tonight on BBC2 about dog walkers on Hampstead Heath, and that song was played!

R2Icon · Joined: 10 Sep 2009 Posts: 1444

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Well of course Rach POTP will always come out on top quite simply because the BBC isn't interrupted by regular advertising

Having said that I'm sure that David 'Kid' Jensen is personally a great deal more knowledgeable about the music played than Tony Blackburn

By the way - I'm currently watching Vintage TV and I just heard something about Alex Lester being on some show tonight but I wasn't concentrating because I was putting together this post Embarassed

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