Has America's Best Music Eliminated All Adult Standards?

[vchimpanzee]

I'm starting to wonder where the standards are on WERT after hearing the station today. There aren't really any more actual standards than on America's Best Music. But it could just be a bad day.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Got better after an hour or so.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I've never posted a list of songs played on WERT. This may not be typical but it is what I've heard today since turning it on.

Bobby Bare "Detroit City"
Smokey Robinson "Cruisin'"
Willie Nelson "Blue Skies"
Don Gibson "Sea of Heartbreak"
The Sandpipers "Guantanamera"
The Association "Cherish"
Elvis Presley "It's Now Or Never"
Ames Brothers "Melody of Love"
Bert Kaempfert "Bye Bye Blues"
Crystals "Da Doo Ron Ron"
John Denver "Annie's Song"
Al Hirt "Java"
Ray Charles "Crying Time"
Kingston Trio "Tom Dooley"
Red Foley "Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy"
Ben E. King "Spanish Harlem"
Blue Haze "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"
Al Jarreau "We're in This Love Together"
Walter Wanderley "Summer Samba"
Doris Troy "Just One Look"
The Jarmels "A Little Bit of Soap"
Mitch Miller "Yellow Rose of Texas"

 

[vchimpanzee]

Somehow the email draft I thought I saved wasn't saved so not all the songs after "Yellow Rose" are listed, and the ones that are listed are not in order, but starting with "Love for Sale" they are.

Brothers Four "Greenfields"
Claude King "Wolverton Mountain"
Everly Brothers "Cathy's Clown"
George Shearing "Lullaby of Birdland"
San Remo Golden Strings "Hungry for Love"
Bobby Darin "Mack the Knife"
The Lettermen "Traces/Memories"
Nancy Sinatra "These Boots Were Made for Walkin'"
Dinah Washington "Unforgettable"
Arthur Lyman "Love for Sale"
Booker T & the MGs "Time Is Tight"
Natalie Cole "Somebody I Used to Love"
Lawrence Welk "Calcutta"
Barbara Lewis "Baby I'm Yours"
Wes Montgomery "Watch What Happens"
Crests "Sixteen Candles"
Everly Brothers "Crying in the Rain"
Glen Campbell "Wichita Lineman"
Gene Pitney "Mecca"
Carpenters "Goodbye to Love"
Nancy Sinatra "You Only Live Twice"
Sandi Shaw "Always Something There to Remind Me"
Elvis Presley "Teddy Bear"
Les Elgart "Bandstand Boogie"
Vogues "Turn Around, Look at Me"
Carly Simon "Nobody Does It Better"
Dean Martin and Joss Stone "I Can't Believe"
Sandy Posey "A Single Girl"
Neil Sedaka "Stairway to Heaven"
Duprees "You Belong to Me"
Jackie Gleason "Serenade in Blue"
Mindbenders "Groovy Kind of Love"

 

[semoochie]

Somehow the email draft I thought I saved wasn't saved so not all the songs after "Yellow Rose" are listed, and the ones that are listed are not in order, but starting with "Love for Sale" they are.

Brothers Four "Greenfields"
Claude King "Wolverton Mountain"
Everly Brothers "Cathy's Clown"
George Shearing "Lullaby of Birdland"
San Remo Golden Strings "Hungry for Love"
Bobby Darin "Mack the Knife"
The Lettermen "Traces/Memories"
Nancy Sinatra "These Boots Were Made for Walkin'"
Dinah Washington "Unforgettable"
Arthur Lyman "Love for Sale"
Booker T & the MGs "Time Is Tight"
Natalie Cole "Somebody I Used to Love"
Lawrence Welk "Calcutta"
Barbara Lewis "Baby I'm Yours"
Wes Montgomery "Watch What Happens"
Crests "Sixteen Candles"
Everly Brothers "Crying in the Rain"
Glen Campbell "Wichita Lineman"
Gene Pitney "Mecca"
Carpenters "Goodbye to Love"
Nancy Sinatra "You Only Live Twice"
Sandi Shaw "Always Something There to Remind Me"
Elvis Presley "Teddy Bear"
Les Elgart "Bandstand Boogie"
Vogues "Turn Around, Look at Me"
Carly Simon "Nobody Does It Better"
Dean Martin and Joss Stone "I Can't Believe"
Sandy Posey "A Single Girl"
Neil Sedaka "Stairway to Heaven"
Duprees "You Belong to Me"
Jackie Gleason "Serenade in Blue"
Mindbenders "Groovy Kind of Love"

Out of six songs, two were from James Bond?

 

[vchimpanzee]

Out of six songs, two were from James Bond?

That's correct. Sometimes they play two songs by the same artist together because the artist was also in a group. I've heard the same artist as a soloist sometimes twice in one hour, or the same group, and there seem to be several cases of that here.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Just in case there's a different sounding mix of music today, I'm posting another list. Several lists gice a better idea of how the station sounds.

Dusty Springfield "Windmills of Your Mind"
George Hamilton IV "Abilene"
Brook Benton "Kiddio"
Percy Faith "Yellow Days"
Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"
Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway "Where Is the Love"
George Shearing "Lullaby of Birdland"
Johnny Nash "Hold Me Tight"
Fleetwoods "Mr. Blue"
Eddie Heywood "Soft Summer Breeze"
Ramsey Lewis Trio "Wade in the Water"
Cymarron "Rings"
Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes "The Time of My Life"
Frank Sinatra "Luck Be a Lady"
Lou Rawls "Lady Love"
Andy Williams 'Music to Watch Girls By"
Platters "Harbor Lights"
Matt Monro "Laura"
Rick Nelson "Lonesome Town"
Leslie Gore "California Nights"
Johnny Mathis "Brazil"
Bobby Goldsboro "Honey"
Chad and Jeremy "Yesterday's Gone"
Drifters "Sweets for My Sweet"
Henry Mancini "Pink Panther Theme"
Mr. Acker Bilk "Stranger on the Shore"
Gladys Knight & the Pips "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me"
Carly Simon "As Time Goes By"
Bobby Vee "Run to Him"
Peter and Gordon "I Go to Pieces" Having a Party (Sam Cooke song)
Sam Cooke "Having a Party"
Frank Sinatra "I Get a Kick Out of You"
Simon & Garfunkel "April Come She Will"
Buddy Holly "True Love Waits"
Kirby Stone Four "Zing Went the Strings"
Ferrante & Teicher "Tonight"
Barbara Lewis "Hello Stranger"
Engelbert Humperdinck "Winter World of Love"
Peter Paul and Mary "Blowin' in the Wind"
Miriam Makeba "Pata Pata"
James Darren "Goodbye Cruel World"
Chris Barber "Petite Fleur"
Carly Simon "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"
Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer"
Dion and the Belmonts "Where or When"
Four Preps "26 Miles"
The Troggs "Love Is All Around"

 

[vchimpanzee]

Here are the rest of the songs I heard.

Don Costa "Never on Sunday"
Stonewall Jackson "Waterloo"
Patsy Cline "Crazy"
Dean Martin "Houston"
Freddie Scott "Hey Girl"
Carpenters "Yesterday Once More"
Ray Conniff "Tiny Bubbles"
The Jaynetts "Sally Go 'Round the Roses"
Five Satins "In the Still of the Night"
Johnny Mathis "Chances Are"
Frank Sinatra "My Kind of Town"
Carly Simon "Anticipation"
The Beach Boys "Kokomo"
Critters "Younger Girl"
The Electric Indian "Keem-O-Sabe"
The Bell Notes "I've Had It"
Mitch Miller "Yellow Rose of Texas"

 

[vchimpanzee]

I'm listening to WNAM while it plays Christmas music and that female voice who has been on since Jeff Rollins and Carl Hampton were let go is now doing all the station IDs.

 

[KilowattKat]

I'm listening to WNAM while it plays Christmas music and that female voice who has been on since Jeff Rollins and Carl Hampton were let go is now doing all the station IDs.

Thank goodness! I love her liners, they have some humor and a nod to the nostalgic nature of the music. She is the voice of America's Best Music. The previous guy (I believe local) was a bit dry to listen to.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Thank goodness! I love her liners, they have some humor and a nod to the nostalgic nature of the music. She is the voice of America's Best Music. The previous guy (I believe local) was a bit dry to listen to.

For the station IDs she's serious.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Actually, she does deliver those station IDs with somewhat more personality than the man did.

 

[KilowattKat]

Actually, she does deliver those station IDs with somewhat more personality than the man did.

If you enjoy listening to ABM, here are 2 affiliates with local elements inserted with the music.

KVRE FM Hot Springs Village, AR

KYBC AM/FM Cottonwood,AZ

Both stream on their websites.

 

[KilowattKat]

And one more...

KRKK AM/FM Rock Springs, WY

 

[CCBInMI]

My go-to ABM affiliates for streaming have been WMST 1150 Mt. Sterling (Lexington area) and WTLO 1480 Somerset, both in KY. I've missed this format since it disappeared from mid-Michigan with 1180 WXLA's flip to Soft AC a while back.

 

[KilowattKat]

My go-to ABM affiliates for streaming have been WMST 1150 Mt. Sterling (Lexington area) and WTLO 1480 Somerset, both in KY. I've missed this format since it disappeared from mid-Michigan with 1180 WXLA's flip to Soft AC a while back.

I've listened to WMST before, very small town community oriented. They give the obituaries, school lunch menu for the week, etc. Long live small town radio! The announcer giving the lunch menu is hilarious, making fun of that horrendous cafeteria food. Will have to give WTLO a listen.

 

[semoochie]

I've listened to WMST before, very small town community oriented. They give the obituaries, school lunch menu for the week, etc. Long live small town radio! The announcer giving the lunch menu is hilarious, making fun of that horrendous cafeteria food. Will have to give WTLO a listen.

When I was a kid, the local MOR station had a morning man, who rhymed the school lunch menu. He began there a decade before I was born and I thought his act was really hokey but he was always #1 and stayed for 35 years, retiring in 1979.

 

[vchimpanzee]

The female voice said this music is hard to turn off. Not true. The next song was by 'N Sync.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I am able to listen to one affiliate on an actual radio, when I go to Myrtle Beach SC. When I got a listenable signal the first song I heard on WIOZ was "Summer Wind", and not during a commercial break. Of course, I didn't hear an actual standard for quite a while. And during a commercial break, The Fifth Dimension was played. Last year I remember a three-minute commercial. I suppose as long as they're providing news and information for Moore County, that's enough to keep the station going, but I would have hoped to hear commercials during commercial breaks. I did take a break from driving so I don't know what I missed, but before the signal got too hard to hear I heard what may have been a standard. It's debatable what is considered a standard. On the way home, "Hello Dolly" was played and I think that's one, and I think I head Linda Ronstadt (if not her, it was one of those new versions) doing a standard later, after a lot of songs that weren't.

This is still good music when my choices are limited (so is WEZV Myrtle Beach but some songs make me change stations) but I'd like more standards.

It's nice to be at home and able to hear good music.

 

[publisher]

I still listen to WNAM's stream regularly and the music mix on America's Best Music has remained remarkably steady for the last five years or so. They still play a decent number of standards -- most by artists like Michael Buble, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Connick and more. And, of course, some of the classics are still played from Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Dean Martin.

You can see a recreation of the playlist on the attached PDF. It's not official; just what I've built over time. The Christmas playlist is also attached.