Comments for AM, Then FM

Comment on Soundtrack to the ride of a lifetime by Shark

Shark — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:47:34 +0000

Sorry to hear about your cousin, Jeff. Life just ain’t fair, is it? There are no words I can say that will make things better for her, but I’m sure she has family and friends who can provide the strength for her to stay positive. I was 10 years old in 1969 and my radio world consisted of Zager & Evans, Three Dog Night,CCR, Neil Diamond, and many more. Thanks for takiing me along on your trip to 1969. Top 40 radio was sooooo great back then!

Comment on Soundtrack to the ride of a lifetime by Scott Thomson

Scott Thomson — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:38:36 +0000

Jeff:
When you led with “the Circuit,” I knew it had to be — there could be only one.
To paraphrase Jackson Browne, in ’69 I was 20 — I know, it doesn’t scan as well as 21 — and my Cruising The Circuit Days were pretty much over. I”d transferred to the Big UW and moved to Madison, on a collision course with the Counter-Culture.
But in the six years or so before that, I spent a lot of time on The Circuit — stoplight racing, chatting up the chicks, going out to Onion Bargee (early Burger King), etc. — some of that with my older brother before I got my Ticket to Freedom from the DMV, Of course, we listened to WLS, the AM car radio’s single cheap speaker having a coronary — Being True to Our School, Wanting to Hold Your Hand, etc.
There were a lot of pleasant memories, and some hair-raising experiences, too: Would Skip’s 4,000-pound, 360 HP, fins-go-on-forever 300D be able to stop before the next stoplight? Will those big dudes in the Pontiac be able to catch my Corvair?
Your post sounded like a ticket for a time machine, and if it worked, I’d go back there in a minute.
Sad news is, you can’t go there and do what we did. The Powers That Be in Janesville decided years ago that cruising The Circuit was anti-social, or something like that. If the gendarmes see you go by more than twice, I think it is, they ticket you. Anybody who cruises, I’m told, goes out and does it on Milton Ave, past the Mall.
Just not the same,

Comment on Soundtrack to the ride of a lifetime by Meat

Meat — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:58:14 +0000

Sorry about your cousin. My mom worked downtown at Mutual Savings from 1968-73, when we moved to Wausau. We used to pick her up on Friday nights when she worked until 8 p.m. and the circuit would be humming. Thanks, too, for the playlist. I had an AM radio next to my bed and it was tuned to WLS. Always.

Comment on Soundtrack to the ride of a lifetime by KC

KC — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:35:11 +0000

Great memories. I love looking at the chart trying to recall the songs, and where I was at the time. Hard to believe Quentin’s Theme was in the top 10! Dark Shadows was not as popular in Houston at the time, I guess.

Comment on Soundtrack to the ride of a lifetime by Dane

Dane — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:41:58 +0000

I’m so sorry to hear your cousin’s dealing with that.

Thanks for sharing your memories, though. Love those cars and the accompanying music, especially the hits from this particular week of this particular year; I was born during that week. Honky Tonk Woman was supposedly the number one song when I was born.