Saturday, May 16, 2020

The 93 KHJ-LA Complete Boss 30 - 1966


Blank Frank Notes: 1966 is a fine, if not the best year ever. This 389 track 14 hour set compiles EVERY boss-30 song that appeared in the weekly KHJ-LA survey for 1966, in the order of its appearance. Some minor changes were made to accommodate airchecks, but they all stayed in the same survey week. Thanks to the help of Dave, Rory, and Kevin, the sound quality is outstanding and virtually all original single mono mixes, some of which have never been released since the original 45s were pressed. Thanks too for Kwai Chang for his essay and support/advice. Without their help, this collection would not have turned out as nice. Thank you all!! About airchecks, finding them in good quality and sufficient quantity was very difficult. They are what they are, but they do add to the overall KHJ experience.  I hope you're able to take this for your daily commute or listen on a long drive once we're all free of this quarantine. Surveys, tracklist, and essay included.

Kwai Chang - 1966:
To understand what radio was like before BOSS Radio is nearly futile because its creation was a well thought out campaign. The people responsible for its inception had a huge vision that was pure genius for it was clearly institutional in scope. It was as if Disneyland was a station on the radio yet, it was personalized to appear as though the individual listener could feel a part of it.

This is incredibly clever. It allowed for belonging on a constant basis...round the clock. It provided real personalities for the entire day with which the listener could identify and trust. It was a never-ending finger on the pulse of a genre that was clearly new and refreshing...new and colorful...new and ALIVE. As if by an undeniable force there was endless excitement from the once dead realm of radio. Forget the novelty of television...it had nothing so tangible for the modern consumer to do except the latent dormancy that accompanies catatonic immersion into the medium.

The beauty of BOSS radio was that it seemed fluid and constantly flowing. So much so, that TV was used as a self-serving gimmick that turned the television viewer into active participants as KHJ listeners. Contests were regularly held on KHJ that would offer prizes of meeting TV stars, visiting the sets of the productions, eating lunch with celebrities. So, you could be the biggest Batman fan on the planet...but, it would require a certain amount of radio participation to realize.

All the while, each KHJ Disc Jockey would use such promotions to continue building their own respective personalities into lovable identities that were more well known locally than Adam West or Burt Ward would ever accomplish. This is a heady accomplishment and may be based entirely on the irony that radio had returned from the dead. Was everything radio HAD BEEN before 1966 actually mundane and pointless?

By KHJ's game-plan, that assessment may be the only premise for the new format that exacted such sentiment. The BOSS Radio daily experience certainly made THE MOMENT the most important point on ANY chronology. 1966 was a very rich year for music. It must have been the most promising year of all for ANYONE that connected with the station...directly, or indirectly. That merely begs the question...was it better to be a KHJ DJ, or a KHJ listener?

THAT is just how good things were for everyone. The tinsel was everywhere...and everything was still new. Like a dream!!!

1965 to 1966   Yandex  Zippy

1966 Part 1 (Jan-Feb)  Yandex   Zippy

1966 Part 2 (March-April)   Yandex   Zippy

1966 Part 3 (May-June)  Yandex   Zippy

1966 Part 4 (July-Aug)  Yandex   Zippy

1966 Part 5 (Sept-Oct)  Yandex    Zippy

1966 Part 6 (Nov-Dec)  Yandex    Zippy













39 comments:

hotrodmike said...

Thank you, thank you! These are so much fun to listen to. I've been playing part 1 in my shop all morning. Great job!

Silvio said...

Here you go again!! Thanks, my friend...

Marie said...

Hi Frank,

An incredible amount of work you've done here and thanks for sharing it. However, I Hope you don't mind my letting you know that there's something "off" about Neil Diamond's 'Solitary Man'. I believe it's a re-record, as it sounds nothing like the 45 that I remember so well.

lemonflag said...

Thanks for this. Listening to the mono mixes is eye-opening. They are different in a way that makes them seem new and fresh. It's not just reminiscing, they just don't music like this any more.

Chi-Town said...

Many thanks to you BF (and all your helpers). This will make for some good listening this weekend. Hopefully 1967 is just around the corner ?!

Kwai Chang said...

@Marie...
I believe Solitary Man is merely the mono mix of a single that was issued on various labels. I used to have an early copy of the 45 but I don't know which mix or label. It was a black label and sounded very different to this in terms of audio dynamic. Nut, after just listening to this version, I am confident that the components are the same and its only difference is in the mix. I'm a huge fan of Mr. Diamond but I've never collected him nor do I have any expertise in his 'details'. But my 45 might have been a stereo version and was instantly noticeable in difference. So much so that this mono mix is very detailed compared to the overtly flat sound that my 45 had. Sadly, my record collection is no longer mine, so I cannot verify this. Neil has worked for a few different companies and I think he takes his material wherever he goes. Although I may be completely wrong...I DO know the concision that BlankFrank delivers on his undertakings. I trust that he is correct. He also loves it when errors are pointed out! I hope this helps!
Not a bad year regardless...
Thank you!
KC

Anonymous said...

RE: Marie's comment above...
The version of "Solitary Man" is the original. Your issue may be that most of Neil's Bang recordings have been remixed and occasionally overdubbed since the initial 45 release.

The version here is stereo. I'll forward the original mono mix to Frank for the next update.

Kwai Chang said...

@Anonymous...
beautiful job!
And thank you!
KC

Marie said...

Thanks Kwai Chang and Anonymous. Here's the track that I have and it's the "sound" that I heard coming through my radio when it was first released. Please let me know what you think.

https://app.box.com/s/lnqwxrhbzju2wjdfzgx12oo72xq2d5b7

Kwai Chang said...

@Marie...
Thank you, for the opportunity to scrutinize this issue! I would hate to slight Neil in any way on this MEGA important collection. Remember, he still had a number 1 hit waiting for the Monkees at that time. So my opinion is that the two recordings are the same. It sounds like yours is in mono and may be the original mono single mix. The one posted in this collection does sound like (very narrow) stereo towards the end...as pointed out by Anonymous. Yet they are very different mixes of the same recording. The running times are part of my logic with 2:30 vs. 2:32. But I still think that we might need an original 7" disc to verify since the confusion might only be starting. I have included a link below for 7 different mixes of this song. If the tags are correct, then there are really 5 different mixes as one seems to be a fan mix(Stereo Jack) and one is a live vocal over original backing. I know BlankFrank is a busy guy, and if Anonymous hadn't pointed out that we have a stereo mix, I don't think I would have noticed. Yours might be the original mix that Anonymous plans on providing to BF. The link I am sending also has one tagged as ORIGINAL Mono single...I don't have time to play them all at the moment, but maybe, you can enjoy them and appreciate that Neil's struggle to the top was filled with unrealized attempts from the beginning! I'm sure that this will be resolved here in the comments before too much time has passed. I will check discogs to find the single I had(via label graphics) then I will play all of the mixes to see if any of them are what I remember. I bought my single as a used record in the late 70's. I hope this helps AND thank you for helping out BlankFrank. This endeavor is ultra important to me and so is Neil Diamond!
Let the sky fall!
KC

Solitary Man X 7: https://we.tl/t-9bBbQYqQcn

BlankFrank said...

Hi everyone! So I woke up this morning over a debate over "Solitary Man". With my coffee in hand, I delved into this and found that Marie is 100% correct. In fact, I had the nagging feeling that it was wrong, but in the end, I decided to trust Neil Diamond's record company. That was my first mistake. The second was not realizing it was also narrow stereo.

Here's the proof: https://youtu.be/oJb-DUv5TZ8

Here's the updated, corrected, and fully tagged track. DL this ONLY if you DL'ed this collection in the past 24 hours OR you take the Wetranfer link.
Yandex is already updated https://yadi.sk/d/X9Z748SFAz6GBw

Thank you Marie for pointing it out. Thanks Kwai to helping and finally to Rory quickly sharing a beautiful HD copy of the song.

Aussie said...

GREAT FULL 4 THIS THANK YOU AUSSIE

Kwai Chang said...

Rah-rah-rah!
Thanks, Marie, Rory...and BlankFrank!
Who's a solitary man? Nobody around here. This is a great place to accomplish great things. I'm here for the duration. I'll be what I am...
a KHJ fan!
KC

Marie said...

Thanks so much to BlankFrank, Kwai Chang and Rory. I'm glad I could help too even in this miniscule way.

Noises From Apt 2A said...

BlankFrank & Kwai Chang & Rory,

Thank you for all of the hard work it took to put together yet another AMAZING "KHJ Complete Boss 30". One of the many aspects that I'm really digging is the regional hits of L.A. . Being from NY and growing up with WABC Musicradio on the AM dial so many great songs such as "Falling Sugar" by The Palace Guards, "Hole In The Wall" by The Packers and even "Baby Scratch My Back" by Slim Harpo never really hit their Top 30 radio charts.

As always, the inclusion of airchecks, actual surveys handouts and detail to accuracy of using the correct single mixes (as well as making corrections after the fact) shows real caring about these projects.

Thanks again ... Cheers !!!

P.S. Ever think about tackling late 60s/early 70s L.A. FM radio ?

Paul Redbeard said...

Very wonderful! Many thanks, Paul

Gary Field said...

These will have a place in the car for the incoming summer of Cov!

The last and best year of classic AM radio.
What a deep well of pop,soul,folk, even E-Z.




If you're going to San Francisco said...

I've been trying to download this from WeTransfer and the server keeps dropping. Will this go to Zippy?

Kwai Chang said...

@If you're going to San Francisco...
Maybe!
01. https://www14.zippyshare.com/v/wjO2dqGw/file.html
02. https://www14.zippyshare.com/v/3WRkwQxO/file.html
03. https://www14.zippyshare.com/v/rgezBvV0/file.html
04. https://www14.zippyshare.com/v/KGKhsTmv/file.html
05. https://www14.zippyshare.com/v/XQiUF8UW/file.html
06. https://www14.zippyshare.com/v/opUNgmwZ/file.html
BlankFrank is pretty busy...but, I'm not!
I don't think he'll care if I do this.
KC

Kwai Chang said...

@If you're going to San Francisco...
Oops! Here is the corrected track 177. Neil Diamond - Solitary Man
(See BlankFrank's comment above for details)
https://www119.zippyshare.com/v/Oayp8o2k/file.html
That should do it.
Good luck!
KC

Rick said...

Another truly wonderful KHJ collection?

Wow! It's boss!

1000 thanks for all the hard work!

BlankFrank said...

thanks everyone for your nice comments! I just added Zippy links (and thanks also to KC for covering my back!)

Frank Inzani said...

Thanks for the great KHJ stuff and for such a fantastic site.

Anonymous said...

Mountains of thanks for 1965 & 1966, BF (& Kwai)! Two immense efforts - and a thorough but very pleasant history lesson, en passant. Like the British writer Jon Savage noted: "1966 - The Year That Pop Exploded" ... Pow Wow! The Chairman

If you're going to San Francisco said...

Frank and KC: Thank you!!

Marie said...

Hi Frank,
I'm sorry if I'm being a fusspot, but I thought you might want to know that Track #68, Billy Joe Royal "Down in the Boondocks" is also not sounding right to me. Here's the 45 on youtube for comparison:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RXiVXTBraE

Kwai Chang said...

Go, Marie!
I can't help with this one...
but BJR was in a movie I watched yesterday called MONDO DAYTONA.
He lip synched to the song and also narrates the film. The film is from 1968. Your version sounds like that film. I haven't yet listened to the one in this comp. Anyway, it's nice to have critical listeners. BlankFrank may possibly be in a state of catatonic dormancy as I know he is busy fine tuning the next volume. I am completely amazed at his ability to get the whole thing 'right'. That is a tribute to some kind of latent madness that I'm not aware of. I was writing another essay about this series and was referring to the surveys and would have gone blind except that my eye muscles were convulsing too erratically to be harmed. I don't know how he does it...or you. Very sharp ears you have. I will try to listen tomorrow...and possibly vote on the matter. Rory???
Anyway, we are on the same team and I wouldn't feel any trepidation regarding the voicing of your opinion. I know he doesn't want the wrong version of ANY song on this project. It's just a mammoth undertaking on par with counting the holes in an acoustic tile ceiling.
Calculating the value of Pi would be infinitely easier.
Take care!
KC

BlankFrank said...

KC, yeah, you're right, I've been away from AYBCS while finishing '67, so thanks for your comments. As for me personally, I'm not an expert on original 45 mixes. I am generally pretty knowledgeable about music of the '50s through the '90s. I try to research, if in not sure and luckily most errors are found by the good samaritans who have volunteered their vast knowledge and collections. This small group have done a lot to enhance this series. The difference between my original beta versions and what is posted is astounding.

@Marie, "Down in the Boondocks" was upgraded to the one currently in the collection. I originally had a stereo re-recording. I did a casual listen comparing the YouTube and the one here and didn't catch a difference - but I'll get the headphones out later and dig deeper.

BlankFrank said...

@ Marie, I put the headphones on a did my comparison and the only difference is that mine sounds a little fuller. The performance is exactly the same as is the mix (other than the YouTube sounding not as good - which is understanding given the turntable that was being used).

Also, as I touched on earlier, the original file I used was a FLAC tagged with the original Columbia 45 label, and he made a point about using this as the original single version.

I invite others to join in with your thoughts.

(Also, the song is found in 1965, the prior post)

Marie said...

Pardon me, for leaving the comment under the wrong post. Perhaps something happened during the download, but when I listen again to the track, it sounds as if BJR is auditioning for a gig with the Chipmunks. I won't bother you "guys" with feedback in future.

Kwai Chang said...

Hi, Marie!
What bother? Feedback is the only reward that can be useful. We are lucky to have modern means to cross reference all efforts. It was pretty strange to have just watched MONDO DAYTONA and then read your comment as I did not know the name(Billy Joe Royal) prior. I had watched it for the Grand Funk Railroad connection. BJR was pretty cool and did a great job in the movie. He certainly had a presence about him and if you want to watch the movie...I would be happy to upload it for you. It has the industry time code running full length but it's not distracting. Thank you!
KC

BlankFrank said...

@Marie, no worries. I mentioned it so other readers knew where to find it. I appreciate and welcome your comments

Tinman said...

Thank you for all your work on this. It is much appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Hey Frank! I've finally decided to break down and give these a whirl, but am unable to download Part 5 of 1966. Any chance of a reupload or troubleshooting? Thank you, these look INCREDIBLE!

BrianF said...

Hi, if these posts are still being monitored, a re-up of 1966 Part 5 (Sept-Oct) would be greatly appreciated. All the other Yandex links are still fine. Thanks in advance.

Robert Hull said...

Thanks so much for all your hard work. Just want to re-iterate what the previous comment states (by BrianF). If it's not too much trouble, please re-up 1966 Part 5 (Sept-Oct) Yandex link when you have some time. Thank you!!

Anonymous said...

I'd like to repeat what BrianF and Robert Hull said. The 1966 Part 5 (Sept-Oct) Yandex link is not functioning. Could you please fix that for us? Cheers!

Ray said...

Hi! I too would like to reiterate how great it would be to hear 1966 Part 5! It's missing on Yandex and Zippy has gone out of business.

Anonymous said...

Here's a link for 1966 part 5 for those who need it

https://workupload.com/file/3Tc4e3yVcDU