61 Years Ago Today: ‘Greatest Song of All Time’ Released

... Upon its release, "Like a Rolling Stone" quickly stood out given its unusually long length of 6:13. In those days, songs played on the radio were usually around three minutes long, as the New York Times noted in 2004. ...

Yeah, back in the day when "Like a Rolling Stone" was released, most radios were AM only.

Car radios were not required to receive FM until the 1970's.

When Did FM Radio First Become Available in Cars?
earthrepairradio.com

Was there ever such a AM/FM mandate for non-vehicle radios, i.e., those in homes?

I cannot find one.

There was the non-duplication rule, though ...

FM Non-Duplication Rule
en.wikipedia.org

... The FM Non-Duplication Rule was adopted by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on July 1, 1964, after a year's consideration.

It limited holders of FM licenses in cities of more than 100,000 who also held AM licenses to simulcasting no more than 50 percent of their AM signal on the FM station.

The commissioners considered the excessive simulcasting wasteful and an impediment to the development of FM broadcasting.

A year later, the FCC reaffirmed the rule, and, after a delay requested by broadcasters, set its effective date for October 1965; some stations were granted exemptions if they could demonstrate their simulcasting served the public good. ...

As I was growing up, we always had an AM/FM radio in the house. I remember listening to WABC in NYC on their FM channel, 95.5.

That non-duplication rule, though, gave rise to FM stations that would broadcast songs longer than the three minute limit of the AM stations.

Can you say WNEW-FM (102.7)? I knew you could.

"When Did FM Radio First Become Available in Cars?"

FM radio may have existed long before it became mainstream, but IIRC FM radio had a fringe (often "underground") appeal. I remember several low-power/avant-garde stations in my area sprouting up around 1967-1968. Sadly, as FM became more mainstream (i.e., as the FCC began to take notice), the playlists became less 'edgy' and provocative. Those early days (1967-1970) were a sheer delight and likely never to be repeated. Worse, they were soon replaced with DISCO. *sigh*.

Our station of choice was WTOS-FM in Wauwatosa Wisconsin (98.3: "Just below body temperature"), especially Bob Reitman's show.

@#7 ... FM radio may have existed long before it became mainstream, but IIRC FM radio had a fringe (often "underground") appeal. ...

In the NYC area back in the late 50's early 60's, FM was mostly just a re-broadcast of the corresponding AM station, which may be why the FCC instituted that non-duplication rule.

I noticed that WABC-FM stopped rebroadcasting the AM stuff and started to broadcast classical music after 6PM each day.

WNEW-FM seemed to take a different approach.

They went into full-time ~free-form~ radio. So, yeah, there's that "underground" attribute you note.

Can you say Alison Steele, The Nightbird? I knew you could ...

From what I remember back in the day, Boston also had a "stake in the ground" underground station like WNEW-FM in NYC. Unfortunately, it is too long ago and I no longer recall the call letters ... :(

@#7 ... a fringe (often "underground") appeal ...

Maybe take a peek at WFMU ...

WFMU
en.wikipedia.org

... WFMU (91.1 MHz) is a non-commercial, listener-supported, independent community radio station licensed to East Orange, New Jersey, with studios in Jersey City. It is owned by Auricle Communications, broadcasting a free-form radio format. ...

I receive the station over-the-air here.

Yeah, "free-form" is a proper appellation for the station.

My guess is that they also have a streaming link ...

I remember having my new-fangled 8 track cassette player, and several albums, stolen out of my '67 Firebird.

One of the albums was, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", and when the Fuzz were taking the Theft report, one of them asked me, "In a goddam what?".

@#9 ... Boston also had a "stake in the ground" underground station like WNEW-FM in NYC. Unfortunately, it is too long ago and I no longer recall the call letters ... :( ...

Possibly WBCN?

WBMX
en.wikipedia.org

... WBMX (104.1 FM) is a radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, serving Greater Boston with a hot adult contemporary format. The format started at 98.5 FM on February 9, 1991, and moved to 104.1 FM, replacing WBCN on August 12, 2009, to allow for the launch of WBZ-FM at 98.5 the next day. Its studios are located in Brighton, and its transmitter is on the upper FM mast of the Prudential Tower in Downtown Boston.

The 104.1 MHz facility went on the air in 1958 as WBCN.

A classical music station for its first ten years, beginning in 1968 WBCN featured a rock format for 41 years.

Known as "The Rock of Boston", WBCN became a legend in the rock music industry for breaking many bands, including U2.[3] ...

In the mid 60s I would lie in bed in north AL and listen to WLS 890 AM 50,000 watts out of Chicago then we moved to Atlanta in 67 and WQXI had all the great music of the day for a few years until FM became more important.

WLS 890 AM 50,000 watts out of Chicago

I listened to WLS in Northern Ontario when I was in high school. John "Records" Landecker.

@#13 ... in north AL and listen to WLS 890 AM 50,000 watts out of Chicago ...

Yeah, those so-called "clear channel" AM stations were great in their time.

Clear-channel station
en.wikipedia.org

... A clear-channel station is a North American AM radio station that has the highest level of protection from interference from other stations, particularly from nighttime skywave signals. This classification exists to ensure the viability of cross-country or cross-continent radio service enforced through a series of treaties and statutory laws. Known as Class A stations since the 1983 adoption of the Regional Agreement for the Medium Frequency Broadcasting Service in Region 2 (Rio Agreement), they are occasionally still referred to by their former classifications of Class I-A (the highest classification), Class I-B (the next highest class), or Class I-N (for stations in Alaska too far away to cause interference to the primary clear-channel stations in the lower 48 states). The term "clear-channel" is used most often in the context of North America and the Caribbean, where the concept originated.

Since 1941, these stations have been required to maintain a transmitter power output of at least 10,000 watts to retain their status. Nearly all such stations in the United States, Canada and The Bahamas broadcast with 50,000 watts, with several clear-channel stations in Mexico going as high as 150,000 watts, and XEW in Mexico City having formerly operated with 250,000 watts for over 80 years before moving the transmitter and reducing to 100,000 watts in 2016. Cuba was originally included in the plan and had several stations given clear-channel status, but stopped participating after the Cuban Revolution of 1959. ...

Fun stuff ...

@#13, 14

Yeah that is (was) an advantage that AM radio had over FM radio.

The frequency was low enough that the transmissions could bounce off the nighttime ionosphere and be received thousands of miles from the transmitter.

FM frequencies are too high for that particular propagation effect to occur.

The frequency was low enough that the transmissions could bounce off the nighttime ionosphere

We used to talk to folk in the deep south on CB radios.

I thought Wichita Lineman was the greatest song of all time

#15

"50,000 watts out of Mexico
That is the border radio"

WSB-AM 750 Atlanta

Welcome South Brother

I got to see him in concert about 10 years ago, in a small theatre in Lafayette, LA. I felt like I was at a Geritol convention.

The 50,000-watt "flamethrower" KOMA (1520 AM) ruled the night in the 1960s along the lonely highways and byways of the nighttime Southwest.

I got to see him in concert about 10 years ago, in a small theatre in Lafayette, LA. I felt like I was at a Geritol convention.

#21 | Posted by lfthndthrds at

I saw Dylan in Richmond a few years ago, not a lot of youngsters there. His performances these days can best be described as confusing if you're not familiar with what he's doing. And if you came expecting to hear a song, you may have heard it but not recognized it.

My friend was seeing him for the 26th time. I wondered why.

The man is a genius. But still.

Harkening back the early days of WTOS with Bob Reitman:

On Monday nights (11pm to midnight) he would play an uninterrupted hour of Bob Dylan. Reitman referred to it as the "Holy Hour".

FM?

WNEW-FM 102.7, NYC

Pete Fornatale, the Nightbird, Scott Muni . . .

And they'd play "Embryonic Journey" under the news.

#25 WQSR Quad 102.5 FM, in Sarasota, Florida, was a pioneer in quad broadcasting.

WQSR played the King Biscuit Flower shows, along with other fantastic programming.

This was around the same time that Bradenton's Bishop Planetarium played the laser/planetarium light show in accompaniment with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

I saw Dylan in the late 90's, and as much as I loved him, it was embarrassing to watch, much less listen to live.

Here's what I think was an underrated album from 20 years ago that I played the heck out of a couple of years ago when I traveled about 20 states:

www.youtube.com

My planetarium played Meddle.

Thunder on the Mountain
Written by: Bob Dylan

Thunder on the mountain, fires on the moon

There's a ruckus in the alley and the sun will be here soon

Today's the day, gonna grab my trombone and blow

Well, there's hot stuff here and it's everywhere I go

I was thinkin' 'bout Alicia Keys, couldn't keep from crying

When she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was living down the line

I'm wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be

I been looking for her even clear through Tennessee

Feel like my soul is beginning to expand

Look into my heart and you will sort of understand

You brought me here, now you're trying to run me away

The writing's on the wall, come read it, come see what it say

Thunder on the mountain, rolling like a drum

Gonna sleep over there, that's where the music coming from

I don't need any guide, I already know the way

Remember this, I'm your servant both night and day

The pistols are poppin' and the power is down

I'd like to try somethin' but I'm so far from town

The sun keeps shinin' and the North Wind keeps picking up speed

Gonna forget about myself for a while, gonna go out and see what others need

I've been sitting down studying the art of love

I think it will fit me like a glove

I want some real good woman to do just what I say

Everybody got to wonder what's the matter with this cruel world today

Thunder on the mountain rolling to the ground

Gonna get up in the morning walk the hard road down

Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king

I wouldn't betray your love or any other thing

Gonna raise me an army, some tough sons of bitches

I'll recruit my army from the orphanages

I been to St. Herman's church and I've said my religious vows

I've sucked the milk out of a thousand cows

I got the porkchops, she got the pie

She ain't no angel and neither am I

Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes

I'll say this, I don't give a damn about your dreams

Thunder on the mountain heavy as can be

Mean old twister bearing down on me

All the ladies of Washington scrambling to get out of town

Looks like something bad gonna happen, better roll your airplane down

Everybody's going and I want to go too

Don't wanna take a chance with somebody new

I did all I could and I did it right there and then

I've already confessed " no need to confess again

Gonna make a lot of money, gonna go up north

I'll plant and I'll harvest what the earth brings forth

The hammer's on the table, the pitchfork's on the shelf

For the love of God, you ought to take pity on yourself