The year 1969 was the year CKLW did not present their annual Top 100 or Top 80 year-end countdown. Instead, the Big 8 opted for the Top 100 Hits of the 1960s — closing out the decade — as CKLW prepared to usher in the 1970s.
On July 3-4 — for the first time ever — host Charlie O’Brien and Big 8 Radio presented the hits of 1969 as was heard on CKLW throughout that memorable year. Beginning with song 100, all the way to the number one song on top.
And now, you can listen to the entire 6 hour countdown — on demand — anytime here on Motor City Radio Flashbacks, courtesy of our friend, Charlie O’.
The featured program began on Saturday, July 3 at 4 p.m., and was rebroadcast on Sunday, July 4 at 12 noon. Another exclusive presentation by Charlie O’Brien and big8radio.com.
The ‘Top 100 of 1969’ playlist was tabulated from the weekly CKLW Top 30 Records charts from 1969 and was researched by noted CKLW historian Dave Kelly.
So here you have it. In its entirety. Enjoy the countdown! 🙂
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NOTE: On Monday, August 2, look for the special, Big 8 Radio’s own (five page) CKLW ‘Countdown Top 100 of 1969’ playlist/brochure on this site.
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— SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT —
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NEW! A special THANK YOU to Charlie O’Brien for contributing the featured CKLW Top 100 of 1969 broadcast with Motor City Radio Flashbacks
“Scott Regen was a phenomenon, um, that just happened, and I just went along for the ride.”
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Right after having signed on WSAI’s Dick (formerly Paul in Cincinnati) Purtan in May 1965, WKNR, the number one Detroit radio station, created much fanfare and media publicity in promoting the arrival of Scott Regen to Detroit from Kansas City’s WHB.
Days before Scott Regen’s arrival to the station, WKNR gave its listeners daily “travel updates” on Keener 13, as Scott Regen loomed closer and closer to his scheduled arrival to the Dearborn studios, scheduled for the evening of Thursday, May 20, 1965.
Today, in honoring Scottie on his 80th birthday, Motor City Radio Flashbacks presents a collage of promos and memories recorded for the famed ’60s WKNR Keener legend.
These WKNR Scott Regen promos were recorded in 1965, 1966 and 1967. You will hear nearly 40 minute of Keener moments Scottie Regen shared in studio (and out) with many of the greatest ’60s pop stars, artists and groups who appeared on the Scott Regen Show, heard nightly 7-10 p.m. on WKNR.
During these noted ‘Keener’ years, Scott Regen became the No. 1 night-time radio disk jockey in Detroit. Just the same, it was during those years Scottie accomplished a phenomenal 25-29 ratings share of the Detroit radio audience — tuning in to his nightly show on Keener 13.
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Happy Birthday, Scottie! And thank you for all the WKNR memories 🙂
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The featured audio file was enhanced by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
When the Beatles appeared for a three week session at the Paris ‘Olympia’ in January, 1964, John and Paul were concerned with the problem writing all the new songs for their first film — as yet untitled — and in addition they had to cook up a brand new single for release in February.
They had a piano moved into their suite at the Hotel Georges V, and they set to work. By the end of their stay they had laid the foundations for the film songs and written ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ — the single which we recorded in our EMI Paris studios. At this time Paul played me his first ideas for ‘And I Love Her.’
Later, when I was busy orchestrating the background score it was decided to use Beatles music in the background whenever possible. Hence, ‘This Boy’ became ‘Ringo’s Theme’ in the Towpath sequence, and ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ was burned into a Jazz waltz for Grandpa’s chase scene from the Police Station. ‘If I Fell’ was not used orchestrally in the film, but I liked the tune so much I did a score anyway, and the end result is here.
I get great pleasure out of arranging the Beatles’ materials, and when the orchestra musicians comments on the quality of the music they are playing, I get an even bigger thrill telling them who wrote it.
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Music score from the film . . . ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
— George Martin; EMI Records Limited (1964)
GEORGE MARTIN’S “AND I LOVE HER”/”RINGO’S THEME” 1964
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George Martin Orchestra’s “And I Love Her,” made it’s initial debut on the Billboard singles chart in July, 1964, the same month the Beatles ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ film (and their film album) made its theatrical debut in cities across America. The Martin instrumental, a song composition penned by Lennon-McCartney for the film, stayed 4 weeks on the charts (“Bubbling Under” the top 100) having peaked at No. 105 on August 1, 1964.
But the flip side of Martin’s “And I Love Her,” titled, “Ringo’s Theme (This Boy),” another Martin instrumental score from the movie, rose much higher in popularity on the Billboard “Hot 100” several weeks later, in lieu after the film’s soundtrack score having been released by United Artists, on June 26, 1964.
“Ringo’s Theme (This Boy),” peaked higher than “And I Love Her,” having topped off at No. 53 during its eight week run on the Billboard “Hot 100,” on September 12, 1964.
In Detroit, “Ringo’s Theme” made the playlist on album-oriented radio stations WJR, WWJ, WCAR, WQTE and WJBK (as heard here), which incidentally by that time WJBK dropped it’s top 40 format for an easy-listening conservative radio sound by August, 1964.
This year, come July, will mark 50 years having passed since the release of the George Martin single and that of the Beatles’ film, ‘A Hard Day’s Night.’ In observance of the Fab Four’s 1964 theatrical film release, also comes the exciting news ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ will hit the silver big screen once again in major cities across the country on July 4, 2014.
The year 1969 was one of the years, if not the only year, in which CKLW did not present their annual Top 100 or Top 80 year-end countdown. Instead, the Big 8 opted for the Top 100 Hits of the 1960s — closing out the decade — as CKLW prepared to usher in the 1970s.
For the first time ever — host Charlie O’Brien and Big 8 radio will present the hits of 1969 as they were featured on CKLW throughout that memorable year. Beginning with song 100, all the way to the number one song on top. The Top 100 Hits of 1969 playlist was tabulated from the weekly CKLW Top 30 Records charts and by CKLW historian Dave Kelly.
The CKLW Top 100 Hits of 1969 countdown resumes today, July 4 at 12 NOON., EST. Another exclusive presentation by Charlie O’Brien and big8radio.com . . . click the streaming link for the broadcast HERE!
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— BIG8RADIO.COM —
Catch big8radio.com LIVE on the streams HIFI radio app for IOS,HERE
The year 1969 was the year CKLW did not present their annual Top 100 or Top 80 year-end countdown. Instead, the Big 8 opted for the Top 100 Hits of the 1960s — closing out the decade — as CKLW prepared to usher in the 1970s.
