There's no doubt that radio is not what it used to be. Families in the pre-television era would sit around the radio and listen to their favorite shows and music. The radio was the center of home entertainment. At the time, Luddites pushed back against the new technology with dire warnings about how it would stop people from reading books. The same arguments were made when TV came along, and then the Internet. Well, people still read. You're proving that point right now. Before the Buggles informed us that video would kill the radio star, and before the digital download killed the CD, people had only a few outlets to discover new music. They could be introduced by a friend who owned a record, they could listen at the local record store, or they could listen to the radio. During this time the radio was by far the most important way for a band to get their music heard. For this paylist I've pulled together 10 classic rock songs about the radio. I had a hard time leaving some bands out who have great "radio" songs -- like the Ramones and R.E.M., but in my mind I don't consider them "classic rock", but you can probably make an argument against The Clash and Joe Jackson. But hey, this is my list.
What do you think? What makes a true classic rock band, and what radio songs have I missed?
Classic Rock "Radio" Songs
1. The Spirit Of Radio - Rush
2. Radio Ga Ga - Queen
3. The Wasp ( Texas Radio And The Big Beat) - The Doors
4. Give the Radio Back - Alice Cooper
5. Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen
6. This Is Radio Clash - The Clash
7. Radio, Radio - Elvis Costello
8. Radio Waves - Roger Waters
9. On Your Radio - Joe Jackson
10. Radio One - Jimi Hendrix
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