Friday, May 8, 2020

The 93 KHJ-LA Complete Boss 30 - 1965



After a five-month break, AYBCS has returned to continue this series of Los Angeles Top-30 tracks. In the beginning, I thought of this as the story of LA Pop music, but I've reconsidered and realized this is the story of KHJ's Top-30. So our story begins with the first survey from July 9th, 1965. Also, I scoured all the sources I could find and was able to insert airchecks between every second song. As this series continues, I'll try to keep this standard, but getting quality airchecks is very difficult.

So we have every song that appeared in a KHJ Boss-30  in 1965.  The vast majority are original mono 45 single versions. Also, each track is tagged with the survey where the song first appeared. Airchecks are on the other side of the survey for that week. This has been a labor of love and, I gotta admit, a very difficult series to compile. But with this you'll have the most complete view of what LA radio was like at the beginning of KHJ's reign. @320, essay, tracklist, and surveys included. Thanks to everyone who shared their time and collections to help make this project even better than I could have hoped.

Introduction Kwai Chang: 1965:
It must have been strange to watch television render radio obsolete. Radio had been good to the world. It's just that regarding the context of demographics, there is no loyalty to be found within American Consumerism. Gimmicks rule supreme and ANY gimmick is a good gimmick! So how long was radio ever supposed to compete with television when TV had the gimmick of moving images? 

Luckily, no one held their breath waiting for an answer. 

Perhaps, the real lesson of radio was to show us just how ANY advance in technology is really DOOM for all that came before it. Or, is there something much less obvious-- FAR more mysterious to be learned by the hastily available legacy with a bad case of eulogy-itis? Because, as RADIO lay deceased for the proceedings of February 9, 1964...the horizon unfolded itself into an omni-directional money grab led by anything sounding British along with a sublime sense of timing that was beyond the realm of human strategy. 

Depending on when you were born, and where you lived...RADIO was about to transform itself into many things...most of them unforeseen...and many of them inevitable. But, in 1964, Radio wanted to hold my hand. It is a situation that was culturally confusing that had assembled itself(or crumbled into) from the most simple events, chronologies, voids, supplies, demands, industry protocol, and some non-protocol innocence that slipped in at the very beginning. All of these things woke up CHANGED on the morning of February 10, 1964. The Beatles' would sell many 8-Crystal Transistor Radios while Capitol Records did the honors of giving the group structural support(manufactured retail units) and the rest of the world tried to hang on for the ride. For the next year, American boredom became overwhelming...it doesn't matter what breaks the spell. By 1965, it seemed like all music came from England...and, American radio found itself in a most bemusing position. 

Thanks to television, pop music was left with an orphan known as Top-40 radio. The bonus of this situation was much the same as Los Angeles' musical identity dilemma before The Doors became its pride. Radio would now be standing on a wide-open potential that could have gone in any number of directions. And since it was happening in Los Angeles, AM radio was about to turn from B&W to COLOR. 

At the end of the really great year of 1964...American radio found itself standing over a new commodity. A parallel to Hollywood's Tinsel-Town and all that goes with the silver screen was now a wide-open horizon...to be played out on the airwaves of Southern California. Just as Los Angeles had been a musical identity void prior to The Doors...this was, even more, the case in 1965 Los Angeles radio. But, childhood must end.

So, in that, it must follow that those of the right age and in the proper locations would be able to escape into a very real magic. No fictitious realities would impose themselves upon format radio...at least, not yet. But, that's because there was a very real need to chart the territory...and decide on a navigational course to start mapping. But, for the moment, a Boy-Scout compass would suffice. 

Modern music media, Los Angeles' Musical Identity, Industry Headquarters, Trend-Setting, Fast Lane Life, The Wrecking Crew, Radio Community Function, et cetera...AND KHJ BOSS Radio were ALL being born and learning to walk, talk, to dance and...to sing...

(Well, 2-out-of-4 ain't bad)

So, what? Quidnunc? How do the lyrics really go??? And did those feet, in ancient times, walk up on....Los Angeles in 1965?

Yandex

Zippy Part 1

Zippy Part 2

Zippy Part 3

33 comments:

madhouse51 said...

Thank you very much!!

Silvio said...

fascinating...thank you

hotrodmike said...

I loved the first set you did and this looks as good. Thanks for the effort to compile these. Much appreciated.

Aussie said...

JUST TO SAY THANK YOU THIS IS GREAT AUSSIE

Silvio said...

I've noticed track 157 of part 2 is missing...is it so?

BlankFrank said...

@ Silvio - 157 mismarked as 147 and found two duplicate songs to remove. Update in about an hour. Starting uploads now. Thanks for pointing out the error

BlankFrank said...

Now Corrected!

Chi-Town said...

Many thanks for another wonderful trip down memory lane, BF. This collection, like the others, is awesome. The KHJ jingles, DJ chatter, etc. add a great deal to these collections. Hopefully 1966 and 1967 will come along in the future.

Smoo said...

You have made my weekend. I have been waiting for this great series to begin again. Love your work. Thank you.

furrball said...

Another great KHJ set, as usual! EXCEPT... #34, The Byrds' "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" is actually The Byrds' "All I Really Want To Do"! (Sigh... I know... a compiler's work is NEVER done... sorry - thought you oughta know.) But still a great set! Thanks!

BlankFrank said...

@ Furrball, thanks a bunch. I listened to this many times a never caught the error. Fixing it now.

BlankFrank said...

Links now updated. For those who have already DL'ed, here's the replacement Byrds track

https://yadi.sk/d/23S-bNQ56lMiaA

Valter said...

Beautiful collection.

Silvio said...

Thanks for the missing track...

Anonymous said...

Fantastic!
I have trouble making up an 80 minute comp for a CD, but 7.5 hours worth of music and talk???
BMinNZ
















iggy said...

One of the greatest efforts I've ever seen in the blogosphere, right up there with GYRO's "Do the 45" series. Thanks so much for making this happen. It's an absolutely perfect time trip back to my (unfortunate) first junior year in college! All good wishes,

Iggy

Warhol Superstar said...

Incredible! Thank you so, so much!

Noises From Apt 2A said...

Another great job done, BlankFrank !!! Many thanks !

Gedders said...

The "All I Really Want To Do" link isn't working.

BlankFrank said...

@Gedders, you shouldn't need it because the DL was updated with three corrected track. The link was for anyone who DL'ed before I fixed the error. If you are one, just DL the set again.

Gedders said...

Ok,Thanks for the great music.Best wishes

Anonymous said...

Blimey!!!
ANOTHER great comp!
Again, I don't know how you do it.
Thanks
BMinNZ

Rick said...

Extraordinary!

What an awesome collection - I'm stunned!

All those mono 45 versions...WOW!!!!

Here's my short Sonny & Cher KHJ piece if you're interested:

https://www.sonnycher.com/goldstar.html#IGYB

Kwai Chang said...

@Rick...
Interested???
Ha! How about fascinated! Absolutely mind boggling hub of information that makes me feel completely ignorant. I'm a SoCal native and I felt as though I could write about this subject in a way that would generate interest in the series. I realize now, that I am only qualified to speak in the most general terms. KHJ and their contemporaries had such chemistry that it only takes an aircheck or two to fall completely into the vortex...the exact same way as when it was all happening. My own prime objective is to convince those who weren't around that indeed the era was all too brief and yet, now, thanks to BlankFrank we can actually transport back to that era. It was magical to be alive then and as slick as the operation actually was, the listener could immerse themselves to a point of total escapism that never seemed to stop. Of course, the blur that was inescapable was also enough to make it obvious...this isn't going to last forever. So, that's why I don't mind being 60 years old because it was fun and fantastic and could make reality more dreamlike than its ever was or will be again. Innocent and naive? What better things to have for a whole decade. And the music was just perfect enough to be enough. Nothing that came later could match it. Not Don Steele on Ten-Q or Shadoe Stevens on that incredible run of TV commercials for The Federated Group. It was over by then. I am really bumbed that the Humble Harve page seems out of order at the KHJ blog...as I was ready to Reeeeelax, baby. I wanted to sit back and get ready to turn on righteously! I had his album 22 Original Goldens and many a discussion at the original Rockaway Records in Silverlake made adamant stands about his supremacy as the coolest voice ever to play records in L.A.! I was also fascinated by the Gold Star piece as I never realized a song could go from tape to airwaves in 24 hors.
We just didn't know how good we had it.
The beginning...
(Thank you!)
KC

Kwai Chang said...

Typing too fast?
My brain won't slow down! I think I pulled a muscle!
Typos above:
bumbed = bummed
hors = hours
And, so it goes(the vortex I mean)
THANKS, again!
KC

Rick said...

Haha typos are par for the course KC!

I'd love to find out how many other artists were able to break the records overnight on Boss - I suspect many more than S&C. And it had such a strong signal I'm sure many of the records they broke were enough to help get some action going towards the national charts.

Maybe it's me but KHJ 65/66 perfectly encapsulates that very special time in history when beat & folk rock ruled. My thanks again to BlankFrank for pulling this astonishingly good time capsule together - yes just the calls are enough to put anyone right back there...into the vortex!!!

Cheers! Keep up the good work!

Paul Redbeard said...

Thanks so much for these wonderful collections. Living in the UK I never heard 93KHJ but a friend in Huntington Beach has told me all about the station and the djs. Are you going to do any more? Fill in the odd gaps please? Especially 1967. It would be wonderful and really appreciated.
Many thanks and best wishes
Paul Redbeard

Kwai Chang said...

@Paul Redbeard...
I don't think BlankFrank will mind if I tell you that 1967 will be the next volume of this series. As I discussed with Rick(comment above), this series will be very nearly a real time-machine that music lovers can climb into. I have been given the honorable distinction of providing commentary to each volume. If you have been visiting here a while, you'll know that the series 'began' in October of 2019 with years 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971. I was most humbled when I was asked to do what I do most(jabber non-stop) in attempts to bring the series to its full potential. This will hopefully deliver the best era ever to grace the Los Angeles airwaves in full. I just finished writing the piece for 1970 so you will know that those first posts(68-71) will be revisited chronologically with some fine tuning and with...my jabbering. I am more excited about this series than anyone since I was a transistor radio owner back then. The era was exciting and new and all BlankFrank wants to do is reconstruct the very real magic that flowed in between the years of 1964 and 197???...I think he should tell you. But for now, just know that he is a workaholic...and Merlin.
I told you that I was good at jabbering. I'm very proud to be involved despite my true limitations about the subject matter.
The beginning!!!
KC

FiveGunsWest said...

Television was still a relatively new thing for most people when I was a kid, as far as having them went. The transistor radio was new also. TV went off at 10 or 11. Radio didn't. In my experience they complemented one another, especially for us young people. Home from school we'd watch Upbeat and Where the Action Is and get an idea of who we wanted to listen to. Running around at night, you couldn't lug a television so we were loyal to our radios. Most of what we did was conducted in the dark with the soundtrack of the times. Older hoedads and bikers listened to Wolfman Jack. We listened to more music based and less personality based stuff. I remember the radio shows TV replaced like the Phantom and the Untouchables. When that post war money boom hit we all got little stereos, a single was 95 cents, an album was 2.50. Album was always a smarter choice. Then there was the boom of FM underground radio. Radio didn't really die until the mid to late seventies. Kids were cool until television took over with all the cop shows and mod squad bullsh!t. The country went down the drain with people head copped by police and politicians. That's why peeps are so intellectually deficient and politicians so stupid. We Want the Airwaves, right? And thanks for these. I think these were the best, most innocent, exciting, romantic and fun days of my life. So many songs I remembered but didn't know who played them or the titles are here. It's fun to rummage the storehouse of memory.

peacemonger said...

Completely gob-smacked by this. Takes me straight back to being a gawky 13 year-old. Thanks!

gen. buck turgidson said...

this is so great i can scarcely believe it. i was born in 1957 and was a music maniac for longer than i can remembor, glued to car radio, transistor radio, american bandstand, the ed sullivan show, jukeboxes when i ran across them, and whatever else. this was in sf, not la, but this project will do! thank you thank you thank you for doing this and making it available!

Jay Mucci said...

This is an epic effort! Just started listening but very cool. Thanks for your hard work.

Anonymous said...

This is not the complete Boss 30 from 1965. Their weekly survey goes back two months before this "first" printed one. Doesn't anyone have the info on the early charts from KHJ? All I know are the songs that were #1 starting the first week in May: Sam the Sham "Wooly Bully" 3 weeks, Four Tops "I Can't Help Myself" 1 week, then the Stones had "Satisfaction" on top a total of 6 weeks. It would sure be nice if someone could come up with those early surveys so everyone could see what the other songs and positions were in those early weeks.