You May Know Them, But Do You Know This?

The Tubes-No Way Out-1979- From the album "Remote Control"

https://youtu.be/4ZhTXSfJDQo?si=OrapijtIiCQ31rWY

Locally here in Southern California, on the 2 Los Angeles hard rock stations at the time, KMET and KLOS this got a fair amount of airplay. I was glad to find out it was the B-side of their 45 release "Prime Time" so I picked it up. Curious to know if it got airplay in other parts of the Country. Still one of my favorites.

Pivotal Role in Remote Control: Remote Control is a concept album inspired by Jerzy Kosiński’s Being There, centering on an average person who becomes completely consumed and hypnotized by television. "No Way Out"—the final track on Side 1 of the original LP—serves as the dramatic turning point where the protagonist realizes the suffocating, inescapable grip of media conditioning and consumption.

The Todd Rundgren / Utopia Sound: Produced by Todd Rundgren, the track leans heavily into his trademark late-’70s new-wave/power-pop production style. Critics and reviewers often note that "No Way Out" sounds strikingly like Rundgren’s own group Utopia—featuring driving, syncopated rhythm guitars, punchy drumming from Prairie Prince, and crisp synth textures.

Musical Contrast: On an album full of eclectic genre experiments—ranging from the sleazy disco-pop of "Prime Time" to reggae and lounge satire—"No Way Out" is appreciated for being a relatively straight-ahead, aggressive rocker that showcases the band's formidable technical musicianship.

New Blog Content

Now that the Beatlesque Countdown is complete and Sam is on hiatus while recovering, I wanted to introduce some new content for the blog while we all patiently wait for the countdowns to resume.

In addition to the recently added "Time in a Bottle" charts, I have two new features in the works:

• "You May Know Them, But Do You Know This?" (Starts Thursday, September 9th):

  This series spotlights rare cuts—or at least lesser-known gems—by well-known artists that I feel deserved far more attention than they received. I’ll share a YouTube link for each track along with its background and my personal history with it. Be sure to leave a comment on the blog or in the chat letting me know your take: whether you already know and love it, know it and dislike it, or are hearing it for the first time. All thoughts are welcome—it’s always fascinating to see how everyone feels about different songs!

• "It Was 60 Years Ago Today" (Starts the week of September 14th):

  This feature will spotlight the Fox 50 countdown from 60 years ago (first one up-September 17, 1966). Nearly four years ago, I asked Sam if I could post some of the 1960s Fox 50 charts I had compiled. He was fine with it, though he mentioned back then that he might do Countdowns for that far back someday. Since then, his focus shifted toward wrapping up 1970, 1971, and 1988 to finish out the 1970s and 1980s runs to complete the Fox 50 countdown he wanted to do. I never got around to sharing any of these 60's Countdowns, but now feels like the perfect time.

I hope you will enjoy these features and keep those prayers coming for Sam as he continues his recovery. 

Beatlesque Poll Results-Week 13

Time In A Bottle Chart-September 5, 1973

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSU9RAOUGzAWCbGElFrUWj8Ulgt9SjeKtViaU_9q6dnQDG-SGI7vSH0S7nTQ6FpI_Yw5k0mHviuP3l6/pubhtml?gid=1350032375&single=true

This specific WDGY Minneapolis weekly chart from September 5th, 1973 captures AM radio right at a fascinating cultural turning point. FM stations were beginning to gain ground, but 1130 AM was still where upper-midwest teens and commuter drivers turned for the hits.

• Heavyweight Rock vs. Pop Soul: The late-summer charts of '73 were stacked with massive crossover singles. Grand Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band," The Rolling Stones' "Angie," and Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" were all jostling for upper-tier airplay.

• Eclectic Curation: What made WDGY's weekly survey unique was its local regional flavor—often breaking album-oriented rock tracks like The Doobie Brothers' "China Grove" or Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" into heavy rotation well before national charts fully caught on.

By late summer 1973, Minneapolis–St. Paul radio was in the thick of one of the midwest's most iconic AM dial battles. At the center of it was 1130 AM WDGY—affectionately known to generations of Twin Cities listeners as "WeeGee."

First hitting the airwaves in 1923 under the vision of Dr. George Young, the station made history in 1956 when Todd Storz purchased it and launched a high-energy Top 40 format. WDGY essentially brought rock 'n' roll radio to the Twin Cities, cultivating a massive youth audience through fast-paced personality jocks, snappy jingles, and legendary local events (including sponsoring The Beatles' famous 1965 Metropolitan Stadium concert). By September 1973, "WeeGee" was locked in a fierce, decade-long ratings war with rival KDWB (Channel 63), pushing both stations to deliver the sharpest music curation in the region.

Songs That Sound Like the Beatles-Top 50

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19BpiUEucC1MeZiLwcwbNohtP783eVEfa/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104629588871063215969&rtpof=true&sd=true

AMC 1984

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ4tntQN7W-MYZzzAAyNll6g0aR8CLhHIWmiOuMQUM7Zkf-7zxBLb-XHmPSjrmksg/pubhtml?gid=1352356170&single=true