RANT: The Pina Colada Song

[Freed Roger]

I grew up having to listen to KSD-AM in St. Louis during school commutes in the early 70's. Nothing was worse than that crap as a radio format. I'm surprised that I could still have children after that. O.k., easy-listening stations were worse, since they were all Percy Faith and Ray Conniff and Mantovani, all the time.

That was on my parents' AM radio station too -but with a dose of movie tunes (3 Coins in a Fountain), Andy Williams, and more contemporary tunes like Stevie Wonder "Sir Duke". Of course, it was interspersed with talk, farm reports, Paul Harvey.

I recall the couple years when I was not in school yet (I have good recall of early childhood) so I was home with my Mom by myself. Heard that station all day long. Turn on TV, 2 channels and nothing on but soaps. It was at-home boredom. And good for you. You actually looked forward to Paul Harvey, because it was so very boring.

A bit of history repeating itself - I graduated college and was jobless back home for a month or two. And really bored. So I started studying up for that fall's CPA exam. I found an old AM station playing the hits of the 40s 50s 60s - and found odd comfort in it, as a soundtrack for my studying.

[The Third Man]

Big Star did happen in the 70s. I therefore upgrade my opinion of the decade. Slightly.

Also this:

[sighyoung]

Admittedly, some 80's electronic music was like this.

[Mary1966]

I just found this thread (I usually don't visit Rants and Raves, except the Cats thread). I looked at all the music that was posted and I have the following:

Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes - original 45 from 1979
Two 45 singles from ABBA: Does Your Mother Know? (1979) and The Winner Takes It All (1980), Dancing Queen I have on a couple greatest hits albums
Reunited - Peaches and Herb: reissued cassette
At the Copa (Copacabana) - used to have the 8 track tape of Barry Manilow Live
Laughter in the Rain - Neil Sedaka - I recorded a various artists' album I found this one that belonged to my cousin
Disco Duck - Rick Dees - I have a recording of this off of a radio station doing a disco day
Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks - reissued 45
I've Never Been to Me - Charlene - original 45 from 1982 re-release (when it made #3 on the Billboard Hot 100)
Playground in My Mind - a cover version on an album from 1973 that was the first album I ever remember buying (I would have been 7 years old, so Mom probably bought it for me at my request)
In the Year 2525 - Owned this on cassette on a various artists album, the cassette got eaten by my car's cassette player
Tutti Frutti - Little Richard - reissued 45
Brand New Key - Melanie - on a CD of 1971's greatest hits
I own a CD of the Bay City Rollers greatest hits, but I did have a couple 8 track tapes from them back in the day
She Blinded Me with Science - Thomas Dolby - recording off the radio on cassette
Mickey - Toni Basil - original 45 from 1982

The other songs mentioned I either don't have or don't recognize.

[TimeForGuinness]

Big Star did happen in the 70s. I therefore upgrade my opinion of the decade. Slightly.

Also this:

Amazing album...also this:

[lukethedrifter]

you ksd guys need to quit [expletive]. my mom listened to

KEZK started up sometime in the fall of 1974, taking over the former community station KDNA (which lives on with KDHX today). Their TV spot featured a generic instrumental version of The Bee Gees "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" with an announcer talking up "Easy 102."

[sighyoung]

you ksd guys need to quit [expletive]. my mom listened to

KEZK started up sometime in the fall of 1974, taking over the former community station KDNA (which lives on with KDHX today). Their TV spot featured a generic instrumental version of The Bee Gees "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" with an announcer talking up "Easy 102."

Hey, I mentioned easy-listening as the only worse format.

But with therapy, you were o.k., right?

[ghostrunner]

Was the 70s the worst decade for music in pop culture history?

Yes.

You got to be kidding me.

Eagles
Fleetwood Mac
Pink Floyd
Led Zepplin (although they were tired by the end of the decade)
Grateful Dead
Neil Young

Later in the decade you had:
Dire Straights
U2
The Pretenders
The Ramones
The Clash

I could go on.

Sure, there was a lot of cheese (and disco!). But there was a hell of a lot of good music through most of the decade too.

Agree 100%.

If we are going to go with crappy decades, I think the 80's take it. How about all that European techno-garbage crap? Loof ballons. [expletive] you.

Or this gem ..

Sometimes you're better off dead
There's gun in your hand and it's pointing at your head
You think you're mad, too unstable
Kicking in chairs and knocking down tables
In a restaurant in a West End town
Call the police, there's a madman around
Running down underground to a dive bar
In a West End town

In a West End town, a dead end world
The East End boys and West End girls
In a West End town, a dead end world
The East End boys and West End girls
West End girls

West End Girls!

Go back to Prague or wherever you are from.

I unapologetically love all the 80s top 40 new wave stuff. Pet Shop Boys, Thomas Dolby, Duran Duran, Naked Eyes, etc. Started going downhill around 85 IMO.

I dont think you can throw the Pretenders and U2 in with the 70s. They might have started then but neither was well known until the early 80s. Looks like the debut records came in 79 and 80 respectively.

[sighyoung]

Pub rockers like Nick Lowe and Graham Parker started in the 70's, too, as did someone such as Elvis Costello who transitioned out of that scene, but all three had a ton of stuff come out in the 80's.

[Molly]

In a West End town, a dead end world
The East End boys and West End girls
In a West End town, a dead end world
The East End boys and West End girls
West End girls

West End Girls!

Go back to Prague or wherever you are from.

Currently playing on 106.5