PLAYLIST: Hawaii's Top 40 HIts

PLAYLISTS

Hawaii’s Top 40 Hits

This will be a new feature to this blog... PLAYLISTS... Embedded here from Spotify or YouTube, I will start sharing my specialized playlists here. If you have a Spotify subscription you should be able to play all of the songs in a Spotify playlist right through. It works on some browsers but not all. Try it out or link directly the Spotify the listen to the list. Subscribe to it if you like.

First up is my 1970s (with some 1960s) era music from high school days and early college that were popular tracks on local Top 40 radio stations in Hawaii such as KPOI, KKUA and on the neighbor islands, KMVI, KPUA and KHLO. These were all AM stations back in the day and they played some great regional only hits mixed in with the familiar mainline top 40 hits. 

This first list that I recently re-created from a CD that I burned years ago features some great tracks.

The cover art was used for the burned CD that I made which actually contained several different songs from what's on this list, since Spotify did not have them. Tracks like "Me Japanese Boy" by Liz Damon, "Groovin Out on Life" by The New Beats,  "Searchin'" by Cecilio and Kapono and "Remember Mary" by The Sweet Marie which are on my burned CD had to be excluded and substituted with what was/is available on Spotify.

I HAVE MORE THAN 200 PLAYLISTS ON MY SPOTIFY CHANNEL

LISTEN DIRECTLY ON SPOTIFY

Radio Free Hawaii Rewind - June 1, 1991.

 

The Hawaii Island Music Report #1 - June 1, 1991.

Radio Free Hawaii was a Honolulu/ Oahu based radio station broadcasting on KDEO 102.7FM through a time brokerage agreement with then station owner Robert Loew and operated by "Sheriff" Norm Winter who also owned Jelly's Books and Music at the time. The station was in operation from 1991 to 1997 with a brief hiatus and format change for a few months in late 1994.

The core of the radio station's programming came in from weekly votes sent in by the listeners. The votes were compiled and a playlist was presented every Saturday morning during the station's run through most of the 1990s. It assured that the station would present a very eclectic mix of music ranging from rock, pop, alternative, metal to hip hop, oldies, reggae, country, Hawaiian, and even classical.

During the countdown show, the "Song Discovery of the Week" would be recognized. The most hated song of the week would also be "sledgehammered off the air forever" by Sheriff Norm Winter.

If you like this, I will occasionally be posting some of the Radio Free Hawaii charts as well as a corresponding Spotify playlist.

The following chart, video and Spotify link is the first of several that we will be presenting on this blog. Enjoy!

1.	I Wanna Sex You Up	Color Me Badd
2.	Never Gonna Let You Down	Surface
3.	Unbelievable	E.M.F.
4.	Fuck the Police	N.W.A.
5.	Iesha	Another Bad Creation
6.	Do You Want Me	Salt N Pepa
7.	More Than Words	Extreme
8.	Hard To Find	Star Williams
9.	Masese	Kapena
10.	Right Here Right Now	Jesus Jones
11.	One	Metallica
12.	Talkin' Blues	Bob Marley & The Wailers
13.	Baby Baby	Amy Grant
14.	Lover's Moon	Butch Helemano
15.	Burn Baby Burn	2 Black 2 Strong
16.	I'll Be Waiting	The Tamlins
17.	Kailua Kona	Ho'Aikane
18.	Stop	Jane's Addiction
19.	Jane Says	Jane's Addiction
20.	Fade To Black	Metallica
21.	Strange Love (live)	Depeche Mode
22.	Close To Me (remix)	The Cure
23.	Been Caught Stealing	Jane's Addiction
24.	Promise Me	Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra
25.	Losing My Religion	R.E.M.
26.	Dead Skin Mask	Slayer
27.	I Like The Way	Hi Five
28.	Hanger 18	Megadeath
29.	Thieves	Ministry
30.	Written All Over Your Face	Rude Boys
31.	Bad Boys	Inner Circle
32.	Man In The Box	Alice in Chains
33.	Ready to Go	Broken Silence
34.	Playground	Another Bad Creation
35.	Crushed	Cocteau Twins
36.	There She Goes	The La's

Sledgehammered off the Air (by "Sheriff" Norm Winter)

Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice

Song Discovery of the Week

I Don't Know Why I Love You - House of Love

Spotify Playlist - Radio Free Hawaii Rewind: June 1, 1991.

Here are Some of the Songs Not on the Spotify Playlist

Promise Me - Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra

Kailua Kona - Ho'Aikane

Additional Links

Radio Free Hawaii Chart Archive (old website) - Melvin Ah Ching

Radio Free Rewind YouTube Playlist - Mel / The Hawaii Files Channel

Remembering Radio Free Hawaii -  Ryan Ozawa

I Love Radio Free Hawaii - Facebook Group

The first printed copy of the Hawaii Island Music Report

Issue #1 - June 1991.

End of post.

Throwback Thursday:KKUA's Top 69 Hits of 1971

We resume our blog after a year long hiatus with this Throwback Thursday (#TBT) post which was originally featured at Hawaii Radio & Television Guide Archive. First up, is the Top 69 Hits of 1971 from KKUA Radio.

KKUA was the dominant top 40 radio station in Hawaii in the mid 1970s. They had a strong AM signal at 690 on the dial and could be heard throughout most of the state. Their main rival was KPOI which broadcast at 1380 on the AM dial as well as 97.5 on FM. KPOI’s AM played top 40 and was the most popular pop music station in Hawaii through much of the 1960s and early 1970s. Their FM played album rock tracks.

Some of the hit records from 1971.

Every year, KKUA counted down the year’s Top 69 songs. The chart below is from the Top 69 of 1971 which listed Three Dog Night‘s “Joy to the World” as the #1 song of the year.

Rank and Title	Artist	Peak Pos. on Top 20
1. Joy To The World	Three Dog Night	1
2. I’ve Found Someone of My Own	Free Movement	1
3. Just My Imagination	Temptations	1
4. Smiling Faces (Sometimes)	Undisputed Truth	1
5. Timothy	The Buoys	1
6. Go Away Little Girl	Donny Osmond	1
7. Knock Three Times	Dawn	1
8. Indian Reservation	The Raiders	1
9. One Bad Apple	Osmonds	1
10. Chatto-Matte-Kudasai	Sam Kapu	1
11. My Sweet Lord	George Harrison	1
12. Precious & Few *	Climax featuring Sonny Geraci	1
13. I’m So Poud	Main Ingredient	1
14. Sweet City Woman	The Stampeders	1
15. Life Is That Way	Jose Feliciano	1
16. It’s Impossible	Perry Como	1
17. Domino	Van Morrison	1
18. Superstar	The Carpenters	1
19. Woodstock	Matthew’s Southern Comfort	2
20. Never Can Say Goodbye	Jackson Five	2
21. Gypsies, Tramps & Theives	Cher	2
22. Maggie May	Rod Stewart	2
23. Yo Yo	Osmonds	2
24. Sweet & Innocent	Donny Osmond	2
25. It’s Too Late	Carole King	2
26. Mr. Big Stuff	Jean Knight	1
27. Stay Awhile	The Bells	2
28. Don’t Pull Your Love	Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds	2
29. If	Bread	2
30. Black Magic Woman	Santana	2
31. For All We Know	The Carpenters	2
32. The Pushbike Song	Mixtures	2
33. Mandrill	Mandrill	2
34. I Can’t Stop	Osmonds	2
35. Tears of A Clown	Smokey Robinson & the Miracles	2
36. Stick-Up	Honeycone	2
37. Liar	Three Dog Night	2
38. Watcha See, is Watcha Get	The Dramatics	2
39. Your Song	Elton John	3
40. Draggin’ The Line	Tommy James	2
41. Morning Of Our Lives	The Arkade	3
42. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart	Bee Gees	3
43. I Hear Those Churchbells	Dusk	2
44. Proud Mary	Ike & Tina Turner	2
45. I Love You For All Seasons	Fuzz	3
46. We Can Make It Girl	Society of Seven	3
47. Ain’t No Sunshine	Bill Withers	3
48. Albert Flasher	Guess Who	3
49. Most of All	B.J. Thomas	3
50. Three Cheers For Love	Dick Jensen	3
51. Mama’s Pearl	Jackson Five	4
52. Rainy Days And Mondays	The Carpenters	4
53. No Matter What	Badfinger	4
54. I Do Take You	Three Degrees	4
55. Somebody’s Been Sleeping	100 Proof Aged in Soul	4
56. Just An Old Fashioned Love  Song	Three Dog Night	4
57. I Just Want To Celebrate	Rare Earth	4
58. Put Your Hand In The Hand	Ocean	4
59. Oye Como Va	Santana	4
60. Love Means (You Never Have To Say You’re Sorry)	Sounds of Sunshine	4
61. Games	Redeye	5
62. Brown Sugar	Rolling Stones	5
63. Lola	The Kinks	5
64. I Dig Everything About You	The Mob	5
65. Love Song	The Vogues	5
66. What Are You Doing    Sunday?	Dawn	5
67. Baby I’m A Want You	Bread	5
68. Frisco Bay	Society of Seven	5
69. Born To Wonder	Rare Earth	5

The big hit of 1971 that was played to death on KKUA and practically all other top 40 stations was Three Dog Night‘s “Joy To The World.” The song was at the number one spot for was seven weeks, making it the most popular song on KKUA.CHART NOTES: 

That year a number of local records got airplay on mainstream Top 40 radio. The most prominent local hit of 1971 was Sam Kapu‘s “Chatto Matte Kudasai” which at first sounded totally out of place on a top 40 format, but eventually got so popular that it went number one in the summer summer. Records by the Society of Seven, who at the time had a record deal with Uni Records (which later became MCA) charted with the singles “We Can Make It Girl,” and “Frisco Bay”. Dick Jensencharted with his top 40 hit single, “Three Cheers For Love.” The local hits are indicated by blue type.

* Climax‘s “Precious And Few” was a number 1 hit in Hawaii during the summer of 1971 before breaking out nationally in 1972. The group was very popular in Hawaii having charted several more times with the hits “Life And Breath,” “Walking in the Georgia Rain” and “Caroline This Time”.

Several nationally released singles were hot in Hawaii and nowhere else. These included “Morning of Our Lives” by The Arkade, “Life is That Way” by José Feliciano, “I Dig Everything About You” by The Mob, “Love Song” by The Vogues, “Mandrill” by Mandrill, “I Can’t Stop” by The Osmonds, “I Hear Those Churchbells Ringing” by Dusk, and “The Pushbike Song” by The Mixtures.

Other songs that got a lot of airplay in 1971 that did not make this chart included “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep” by Middle of the Road, “Give Up Your Guns” by The Buoys and “Keep it in the Family” by The Road Home.

Among the popular albums of 1971 were Three Dog Night‘s “Naturally” which contained the #1 hit “Joy To The World” as well as the very radio friendly ballad “Sunlight,” a track that never was released as a single. Also popular was Carole King‘s “Tapestry”, Santana‘s “Abraxus”, Sly & the Family Stone‘s “There’s a Riot Going On,” and several albums by theJackson Five and Osmonds.

KKUA’s 1971 Personalities included the following:

Jim Peters 6:AM
Steven B. Williams 9:AM
Gene Davis 12 noon
Ron King 3:PM
Scott Edwards 6:PM
Dick Wainwright 9:PM
Rick Shannon Midnight

Announcing Radio M.I.U. - Streaming Music Online

Radio M.I.U. Classic Rock Tracks from macpro on 8tracks Radio.

Announcing Radio M.I.U. (short for Radio Mel's Internet Universe) here on this blog. Radio M.I.U. contains various mixes of assorted music including Classic Rock, Disco, Oldies, and more. Check it out online at 8Tracks.com or listen to the embedded link above.

It's Radio M.I.U. Whatever Goes...

Crap From The Past Tribute to George Martin

One of my favorite downloadable and streaming podcasts on the internet is really a radio show. It's called CRAP FROM THE PAST and is hosted by Ron "Boogiemonster" Gerber on KFAI radio in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area of Minnesota. The weekly radio show features a smorgasbord of pop and rock music from the 1960s to 1990s with emphasis on obscure and rare tracks from the 1970s and 1980. It is a fun show to listen to.

Occasionally the show will focus of special subjects like "lost 45s", and recently deceased music personalities such as Casey Kasem and most recently producer George Martin.

For this posting I have included a link to the March 11 podcast of CRAP FROM THE PAST which is largely a tribute to George Martin who is often recognized as "the 5th Beatle" since he produced nearly all of the records of The Beatles.

The show is available as a download as well as a stream, as presented below:

PLAYLIST

KARN EVIL 9 - Emerson Lake And Palmer (1973)
IN MY LIFE [mono mix] - Beatles (1965)
HELP [US LP mono version] - Beatles (1965)
YESTERDAY [mono mix] - Beatles (1965)
MAN ON YOUR MIND [previously unreleased mix] - Little River Band (1982/2000)
TAKE IT EASY ON ME [previously unreleased mix] - Little River Band (1982/2000)
A DAY IN THE LIFE [mono mix] - Beatles (1967)
FERRY ACROSS THE MERSEY - Gerry And The Pacemakers (1965)
TAKE IT AWAY - Paul McCartney (1982)
TIN MAN - America (1974)
RAIN - Beatles (1966)
GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE [mono mix] - Beatles (1966)
I FEEL FINE - Beatles (1964)
SHE'S A WOMAN - Beatles (1964)
STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER - Beatles (1967)
PENNY LANE - Beatles (1967)
THE NIGHT OWLS [previously unreleased mix] - Little River Band (1982/2000)

BOSS Radio Is Streaming Online

While it is not exactly the old KHJ "Boss Radio" of old (no live DJs), this radio stream I first found on Apple's iTunes Internet Radio tab is kind of like no other oldies audio stream. Surely, they play much of the same old stuff as other streaming stations.

Boss Radio Online however streams blocks of music of one specific year per hour. So like if you stumble into a block, you may be locked in to say 1961 or 1970. It depends on the time of day you listen to a stream. 

Needless to say, I like Boss Radio Online even without any live DJs. You get the old style jingles such as "And the Hits Just Keep on Coming" along with the same style of bumper music you remember as a kid.

Since this is a streaming station (broadband internet required), unlike the old AM band of yore, there is no static. The music is all original with most tracks presented in full stereo sound. Nice.

Some of the early year webcasts also include music inserts from years prior to the targeted time span (1961 to 1973) presented on Boss Radio.

All you need to listen to Boss Radio Online is a browser pointed to the following URL on your computer or device:

http://backwhenradiowasboss.com/index.html

Boss Radio Online is also available on the iTunes internet radio tab as well as through free downloadable apps for your Android and iOS device. Access to the stream is FREE! A great bargain.

Here is a set list for Year 1961:

Boss Radio 1961-01

Let the Four Winds Blow - Fats Domino

Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles

Hello Mary Lou - Rick Nelson

Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes

Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley & the Comets

Mountain's High - Dick & Deedee

Tower of Strength - Gene McDaniels

Take Good Care of My Baby - Bobby Vee

One Track Mind - Bobby Lewis

Bird Dog - The Everly Brothers

Corinna Corinna - Ray Peterson

Heartaches - The Marcels

Spanish Harlem - Ben E. King

Gee Whiz (Looks At His Eyes) - Carla Thomas

I've Told Every Little Star - Linda Scott

Broken Hearted Memories - Sarah Vaughan

Rubber Ball - Bobby Vee

Crying - Roy Orbison

Calendar Girl - Neil Sedaka

Big Man / Santa Catalina - The Four Preps

Travelin' Man - Rick Nelson

Mama Said - The Shirelles

Some Kind of Wonderful - The Drifters

Magnificent Seven - Al Cariola

I will be posting set lists on occasion.