Monday, May 25, 2020

The 93 KHJ-LA Complete Boss 30 - 1967



The third in this KHJ series was completed last night and what a great year it was! By my count, all but nine songs are original mono single mixes. I had a lot of help from AYBCS readers, as well as a couple of Faltonians! I'm sending it out without having listened to all of it yet, Your comments are appreciated! 444 tracks and nearly 16 hours long. Every single song that appeared in KHJ's Boss-30 Survey for the year, with as many 1967 airchecks added in as I could get. Coming up next are upgrades to 68 through 71.

Commentary from Kwai Chang:
KHJ 1967(The Wrecking Crew)
Technology by definition must keep advancing...a never-ending sum of techniques, skills, methods, and processes in the effort to create new value.

Hence, a perplexing situation was that of KHJ in the quest to be BOSS! For all of the technical limitations of the late 1960s, radio was not immune to the effects of the primitive playing field which was nothing more than a threshing floor. In that regard, never before had something so business-like seemed like something so genuine in its essence...so everyday-lifelike!

And yet, we all know the first rule of business: If you're not bringing in more capital than you spend...you're NOT a business. So, it seems amazing that KHJ brought a flair to the world of radio and even more so, to the world of music than had ever been known prior. KHJ had no real advantage in the radio world. It was still becoming modern. It was in the process of being created and it was pretty simplistic in terms of risks, odds, vision! It was still trying to figure out what it wanted to be. This might be enough to keep a radio station busy even when objectives are practically realizing themselves. So, in KHJ's situation, things were going very much as planned. The project seemed to be devoid of monetary concerns when in fact nothing could be further from the truth.

We needn't concern ourselves about the protocols of commerce. This was already part of the mechanism as The Beatles learned when Andy White was able to relegate the drummer, Ringo Starr, to tambourine at the sessions for Love Me Do. It is simply a matter of economics to never let investment become more of a risk than the situation requires. In the early years of KHJ, this was an unwritten rule that preceded all other considerations. It is not exactly clear where one entity stops and another begins...but in the radio world(...in BUSINESS) it's always about efficiency. This is apparent by the inserted advertisements that corporate sponsorship pays large premiums for. Broadcast slots are strategized and even more so, the commercials themselves are crafted by professionals who do nothing else but specialize in making you want to buy products.

In Hollywood, most of this work was sub-contracted out to The Hellers. This was the slickest team of gimmick creators who made most of the connections with the tuned-in consumer. We have never seen any amateur efforts on television when the programming breaks for a word-from-our-sponsors. It is common industry knowledge that our favorite television shows are only there to fill the space between the commercials. So, with that pretext in mind, we can only marvel at the clever finesse utilized by BOSS radio when their own airchecks were broadcast sounding very much(read EXACTLY) as if they were recorded by the current hitmakers in the TOP 30.

This was not the work of The Hellers...but, rather by a group of their contemporaries. In fact the collective didn't really have a name. They were simply a small group of musicians that worked 40 hours a week doing what they did best...providing musical backing tracks for very realistic sounding endorsements. However anonymous such a function could actually be, there was much more to this relationship than anyone knew.

We now know this elite team by the name The Wrecking Crew. The KHJ airchecks DID sound exactly like the Beach Boys had made it...because The Beach Boys records were actually backing tracks produced by The Wrecking Crew. Why would it...why SHOULD it be any other way? Music is a business and most of the BOSS Top 30 was created in this most efficient manner. In this way, the VERY best music could be created, broadcast, surveyed...and purchased. It isn't an accident...it is professionalism. It wasn't intended to be illusory...but it WAS a huge blur that kept everything running smoothly and profitably. Most of all, it made everything sound fun while captivating anybody who loved music, radio, or record collecting. It isn't clear whether KHJ and The Wrecking Crew were really separate limbs of the same tree...it didn't matter. Very few artists have the technical expertise to ever achieve stardom. We'll never know what The Beatles' own fate would have been had not Andy White been there for 'them'.

But a quick glance at KHJ surveys should reveal that current stars in the airplay rotation are really only singers...possibly only actors pretending to be music stars...trying to be loved. Probability gives better odds to those who know their own true functions. So, without dwelling on how the OTHER faces(band members) are selected to be on the record jackets...just know that NEVER before had so many been entertained by so few. This is why the music was so good in the first place and at least for KHJ...why they were BOSS!


1966 to 1967   Yandex    Zippy

1967 Part 1 (Jan-Feb)    Yandex    Zippy

1967 Part 2 (March-April)   Yandex    Zippy

1967 Part 3 (May-June)    Yandex    Zippy

1967 Part 4 (July-Aug)    Yandex    Zippy

1967 Part 5 (Sept-Oct)    Yandex    Zippy

1967 Part 6 (Nov-Dec)    Yandex    Zippy



23 comments:

roosen jp said...

i just ask it & 2 sec after you gave it to me-how great can you be
thx again from the birds of belgium-limburg

danbis1008 said...

Perfect listening tho get us through lockdown. Thanks so much

Kwai Chang said...

Thank you, BlankFrank! Music is still the best place to be hopeful. What was magical about 1967 is still magical. This series is a triumph. Beautiful work!

Anonymous said...

Wow... back in the time machine to 67. Awesome. Many thanks.

Anonymous said...

"This series is a triumph." YES, SIR! Thank you so much, BF, again & again from: The Chairman

Chi-Town said...

Way to go, BF....a dream come true. Many thanks for this fabulous trip down memory lane !

Chi-Town

lemonflag said...

I was 16, can there be a better age to enjoy and revel in this music.
Thanks.

Noises From Apt 2A said...

Do you guys ever sleep ? ... Can't wait to start listening especially because 1967 proved to be a time of major change in AM radio . Almost as if the seeds of what will be the "golden years" of FM were planted on AM radio at this time....cheers and thanks again for all the hard work !

Paul Redbeard said...

Hi
Was I imaging seeing 93 KHJ for 1970/1971 and 1972 yesterday?
Will they be re-blogged please?
Many thanks
Best wishes
Paul

BlankFrank said...

Hi Paul,'68 through '71 are now being upgraded with more airchecks, improved sound, and mono single mixes. Coming soon!

Rick said...

Sincerest thanks to BlankFrank (& KC) for binging this other wonderful collection together. It really is impressive...and so great to listen to!

A real work of art from a labor of love!

Thank you again!

hotrodmike said...

A huge thank you for putting these together and sharing with us. The late 60's was really an amazing time for music. Can't wait to dive into these volumes.

Aussie said...

this is good thank you - Aussie

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ said...

Thank you for your efforts on these Mr. Frank. All my friends from California get a big kick out of these when I put them in que. I moved from there 20 years ago after being in Cali 45 years before. I miss it. Until I go back. Then I realize why I left. Keep up the good work. It is appreciated.

zipper said...

Absolutely superb BF, a true work of wonder. Many thanks for this labour of love. Cheers!

Anonymous said...

This might enhance everyone's enjoyment. https://93khj.blogspot.com/2008/05/khj-survey-index.html

Best to you all!

Rudolf Schmidt said...

Thanks for this monumental effort. It might be useful to include info about the sources of the rips in case anyone anyone wants to replace a particular track with a better or preferred rip of their own.

Anonymous said...

Hi Blank Frank,
Wonderful listening indeed...
I notice the Bob Crewe Generations Music To Watch Girls By is I think the album version not the single mix in which the guitars are mixed more up front and the other instruments more muted
especially towards the end of the song. That's how I remember it
What do you think??
Thanks for a great blog --

BlankFrank said...

@Anon Music to Watch Girls By seems to sound the same as this video that purports to be the single version. What do you think?

https://youtu.be/o7K_jzVVAvI

Anonymous said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auS-ndWXLso
Sounds like Midway through the song someone turned up the guitars!!
Suspect this is some crude stereo mix though you tube says it's the mono mix
which it clearly is not now.
This is the mix of Music To Watch Girls By I Was talking about.
Sorry to doubt you Blank Frank!
Take a listen and you will see -- I prefer this mix but does not really fit in with the format but I was not going mad.

ALEX said...

Thank you from all my heart ! You are the best

Andrew Eckel said...

This KHJ mix is a treasure trove. Thanks so much for putting it together.

Noises From Apt 2A said...

BlankFrank, I downloaded your work back in 2020, and I commented too at the time, but I gotta tell ya that I come back to your work on the KHJ-LA series, especially 1967...my absolute favorite year on AM radio, over and over again. When spring/summer rolls around, your work gets appreciated even more because I but the collections on my media player and play it in my car with the windows rolled down.... A slice of nirvana in my day.