Thanks for stopping by! The Retro Attic is your 24/7 listener-supported internet radio guide to the 50's through the 70's. We play lost and classic top 40 hits, but we also place a heavy emphasis on the minor charters and non-charters...or as we call them, bottom 45's. Special Mixcloud shows will be announced as time permits. If you have a general suggestion, then please use our chat widget in the lower right corner or the below contact form. If you have a song request, then please use the below Song Request Form; your request will be automatically queued for play in 90 minutes if it is already in the station's inventory or else I will receive an e-mail copy of your request. Please read the "New Request Policy" post in the below blog for more information on requests as I have new rules for those who are willing to be sponsors and for those who are non-contributors.

If you appreciate what we do, then please make use of our PayPal buttons on the site. You can donate a one-time amount or choose from 10 monthly subscription amounts; the donations will help enhance our programming and keep us on Live365. Yes, The Retro Attic is legitimate and pays artist royalties!

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Monday, December 11, 2023

NEW REQUEST POLICY

 After 10 years of running my stations, I have found that two distinct types of people listen to my stations:

  • Dedicated oldies fans who miss the days when there was an "anything goes" attitude when curating a playlist. In other words, the more variety, the better. They hear my station and immediately know that a lot of effort went into it and that I care greatly about variety. They show their appreciation by making a one-time or recurring donation to my operating costs to help make sure that I stay on the air. Some of these fans don't expect anything special in return; they just dig what they hear.
  • People who expect something for nothing and think you have nothing better to do all day than to provide an on-demand service.
I know that some of you are happy that we take requests; it is very reminiscent of the golden era of AM radio when you could call a station up, make a request, and usually it would get played within a decent window of time...no questions asked. The difference between now and then is that back then, those stations had reputable local businesses paying their bills(commercials for auto dealerships, banks, restaurants, supermarkets, etc.). Unfortunately, that is not my situation; I rely on my listeners to make financial contributions toward the costs that are necessary to keep my stations running. I can no longer be at your beck and call if you aren't going to support my stations, so here is how requests will be handled from now on:

  1. If you aren't going to make a donation and expect me to play your request, then I will put your request into a consideration list. This means that I may or may not play it; nothing will be guaranteed. If I think your request is worthy enough, then I will play it SOMETIME, meaning it could be later today, tomorrow, next week, or even next month. I am under no obligation to you. If you want "mono instead of stereo," "the new DES stereo remix," "12-inch club mix," an album track, or a wickedly obscure single, then trust me, you are strongly encouraged to donate.
  2. If you are a loyal contributor, then first of all, THANK YOU! You are the reason I am still on the air! Just make a request and I will get to it as quickly as I can. If I am online at the time you make your request, then it should be fulfilled around 90 minutes later(DMCA rules, not mine - there has to be a delay and no implication of an on-demand service). If it is going to take a little longer, then I will communicate with you and let you know an approximate airing time. As hinted earlier, I will have no problem playing an album track, club mix, new stereo remix, etc. for someone who donates regularly.
Some people try to duck the donation subject when I drop hints. Let me ask you this: how do you conduct yourself when you go to your favorite restaurant? Do you expect your waiter or waitress to deliver a hot and delicious meal to you within a few minutes, yet you say "The heck with the tip! It's their job to cook and serve me a meal!" Do you also ignore the tip jar at Starbucks every morning? These are all service-oriented endeavors, and my stations aren't any different. Buttering me up and saying "My station is great" is not what I call "supporting a station." Time is money! If you want more of your own favorites to be played, if you want tons of specialized shows, if you want premium sound quality, if you want my station to be on the ultimate top-rated mobile app, THEN YOU MUST REALIZE THAT I CAN'T MAKE THESE THINGS HAPPEN FOR FREE. I have donors who pitch in near triple digits regularly, and they rarely make requests on consecutive days; yet at the same time, I have to deal with non-contributing armchair critics who think they know how to run my station. I'm sorry armchair critics, but I am through being nice.

For those who are skeptical about my so-called costs, I have no problem reminding everyone about my stations being part of the Live365 family. In order to stay legal and have artist royalties properly reported, I have to pay them a certain amount each month for each of my stations. I am also seriously considering upgrading to more modern and robust streaming servers in 2024 that also come with great-looking site players; these won't be cheap, but if I'm going to want to continue being taken seriously, then this upgrade will be necessary. Having station metadata show up on Tunein...free Alexa Skills...CD and vinyl acquisitions for certain rare tracks...these are expenses too.

If you have any questions on how to donate, then please let me know or refer to the PayPal buttons below the blue PayPal banner on this webpage. If you think my station has potential, then please contribute so that we can get closer to making an ultimate oldies station a reality!  

     

Thursday, December 7, 2023

NEW TITLES BEING ADDED TONIGHT!

 New stuff for your ears starting tonight:

  1. Bill Anderson - "I Can't Wait Any Longer" - '78 - Full single version

  2. David Bowie - "Rebel Rebel" - '74 - The seldom-heard U.S. single mix

  3. Carpenters - "Ticket To Ride" - '70 - The original mix, not the re-recording that came out in '73

  4. Joe Cocker - "You Are So Beautiful" - '75 - Being a "Walking Dead" fan finally made me add this

  5. The Five Americans - "I See The Light" - '66 - Mono single mix

  6. The Glass Prism - "The Raven" - '69 - Edgar Allan Poe set to psych/organ-filled bliss

  7. The Gun - "Race With The Devil" - '68 - Mono single mix

  8. Mary Hopkin - "Those Were The Days" - '68

  9. Led Zeppelin - "D'yer Mak'er" - '73

10. Herbie Mann - "Hijack" - '75

11. The Modern Lovers - "Roadrunner" - '76 - Recorded in '72 - For those in love with Massachusetts

12. The Paradons - "Diamonds And Pearls" - '60 - Stereo

13. Graham Parker And The Rumour - "Hold Back The Night" - '77

14. Ramones - "Do You Wanna Dance" - '78

15. Sonny And Cher - "All I Ever Need Is You" - '71

16. Bruce Springsteen - "Prove It All Night" - '78

17. The Tams - "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" - '64 - Mono single mix

18. The Toys - "A Lover's Concerto" - '65 - Yeah I know, about time!

19. Link Wray And His Ray Men - "Rumble" - '58

20. The Zombies - "She's Coming Home" - '65

I hope everyone has a happy holiday season! See you in '24!

Thursday, October 19, 2023

NEW WIDGETS FOR CURRENTLY PLAYING AND PLAYLIST HISTORY

 I'm just letting my listeners know that the "Now Playing" and "Recently Played" widgets on the station's webpage have been updated to newer versions, mainly because I had no choice. The old versions are being phased out to the point where artist images were completely eliminated, and I don't even have the ability to custom-upload my own image choices on them.

The new versions have a fairly reliable stock library of artist images, and I can upload my own when necessary; obviously, the more obscure the artist is, the less likely the stock library will have something. I can't stop you from mentioning that an artist's image is missing or could be better, but trust me, I am well aware of the issues and will strive to perfect them the best I can. 

Most artist images will have biographies attached to them on the "Now Playing" widget, and all tracks on that widget have a Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down feature. The "Now Playing" widget has a player attached to the top of it if you don't want to click on the blue "Listen Now" button above it(which leads to a more robust player, but that's just my opinion). Gone are the Wikipedia, "Tweet Song" and Amazon purchase links; the widget developers probably don't think they're relevant anymore, and they're probably right. Everyone knows how to use Wikipedia and Mr. Musk made it financially impossible for anyone to autopost on X/Twitter anymore.

The "Recently Played" widget shows a history of the last 100 tracks played. It refreshes at a rate of every 90 seconds, and I can't do much more than that without the distinct possibility of the widget missing a track. Be aware that the refresh isn't instantaneous due to the sheer volume of tracks in the history. 100 tracks is the maximum capability, so please don't ask me if it can show the last three days, the last week, etc.

I apologize if I don't sound overly positive about these changes. Maybe I'm in the minority, but it seems to me that these days the phrase "New And Improved," whether it refers to technology or the foods we eat, isn't worth a hill of beans anymore. I MISS THE OLD, and that especially means the pre-2016 days of internet radio. I'll let Satchmo conclude this post: "And I think to myself, what a wonderful world..."

UPDATE: After hearing such phrases as "craptastic" and "amateurish," I have reverted back to the old widgets. Hopefully, the company I deal with will at the very least let me upload my own artist images to them if they do in fact no longer have access to the old third party image provider.

Monday, October 16, 2023

NEW ROTATION ADD: MICKY DOLENZ - DON'T DO IT - 1967(ORIGINALLY RECORDED IN 1965)

 Just before going through an agent and answering the casting call for a new Screen Gems TV show called "The Monkees," Micky Dolenz was fronting two nightclub acts in California: Micky And The One-Nighters and The Missing Links. Someone apparently saw The Missing Links and asked Micky if he would be interested in laying down a couple of tracks for Challenge Records(home of The Knickerbockers, one of my favorite 60's acts). Micky's group didn't sound professional enough, so members of The Wrecking Crew were called in to help(including Glen Campbell on guitar).

The two tracks that were recorded were today's featured number, the playfully suggestive garage rocker "Don't Do It," and "Huff Puff," which sounded like a somewhat angry and snarly Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs. Even though recorded in 1965, they remained unreleased until 1967. A little phenomenon called Monkeemania was happening then, and at the time it seemed like anything that had The Monkees' name on it stood a great chance at being a smash. Challenge Records tried to cash in on the phenomenon and put out "Don't Do It" first; even though it went top 10 on radio station surveys in Hawaii and Kentucky, it only managed a #75 peak on the Billboard Hot 100 on 4/1/67. "Huff Puff" came out a little later with the same picture sleeve in a different color, and let's just say that it didn't even come close to blowing up on the charts.

This will be part of The Retro Attic's rotation today along with 12 other oldies from the 50's through the 70's. Thanks for listening and showing your support! 


 Micky Dolenz - Don't Do It



Monday, May 1, 2023

NEW EBAY LISTING - THE DIAMONDS - WE'RE STILL ROCKIN' - 1995 OUT OF PRINT CD

 Usually when a newer version of a classic oldies act releases a new album and includes remakes, you can tell right away that it's a half-baked effort. Not so with this one! The doo wop and street corner vocal harmonies are top notch, and Gary Owens is a heckuva sax player! This particular album isn't available on any of the streaming platforms and doesn't come up for sale very often, so if you would like to help out The Retro Attic, then please feel free to place a bid! The Diamonds We're Still Rockin'

Thursday, October 27, 2022

ALBUM REVIEW: Dion - Born To Be With You - 1975(Phil Spector International Records)

 Dion DiMucci spent the late 60's and a good chunk of the 70's rediscovering himself after years of chemical dependency; this was achieved through a series of albums targeted toward the MOR/AC market. This particular album was a fine example of his new introspective approach and will mainly appeal to those listeners who need to tune out from life for a half hour by retreating to their dimly lit den. 9 times out of 10, the source of our own problem(s) is in our back yard, whether that back yard is in our mind or at a physical homestead.

A good 3/4 of this album has a murky, dirge-like sound, thanks mainly to...you guessed it...the Phil Spector Wall Of Sound. Listening to these tracks reminds me of Jackie DeShannon's version of "The Weight" sparring with George Harrison's "Bangla Desh." If you're looking for a little peppiness and a small reminder of Dion's teen idol Laurie Records era, then the only track that qualifies is the eighth and final track, "Good Lovin' Man."

2 of the tracks have a clearer production and sound to me like early James Taylor meeting Jim Croce("Your Own Back Yard" and "New York City Song"). "Your Own Back Yard" will probably stand out for you from the rest of the pack, and rightfully so; it had previously been released as a non-LP single in 1970 on Warner Brothers. The rest of the tracks were recorded in 1974.

Please note that the below streaming link pairs the album with his 1976 effort "Streetheart" as well as a Phil Spector involved non-LP 1976 single(track 9).

Stay tuned for more album or single reviews in the future and keep rediscovering those lost oldies on The Retro Attic!

PURCHASE: Born To Be With You on Amazon

SPOTIFY: Born To Be With You on Spotify

SINGLE CURRENTLY IN THE RETRO ATTIC'S ROTATION: Your Own Back Yard - peaked at #75 in Billboard on 7/3/70. And we have it in stereo(mono is much more common)!





Monday, May 9, 2022

HOW TO BECOME A SPONSOR ON THIS STATION!

 My two licensed internet radio stations, The Retro Attic and Awfully Awesome 80's, are looking for sponsors. For an extremely low monthly rate(a choice of having your ad run either 5 times a week or 10 times a week on the station), I will produce a 30 second ad that can be dry or that can include background music. I can also offer a sidebar ad for your business(with a clickable link) on one of my websites for a slightly higher monthly rate.

I am looking for specific types of sponsors that, like me, are devoted to keeping oldies and 80's music alive and well:

 1. Used record/compact disc stores across the USA that cater to tourists and/or sell their titles online.

 2. Flea market vendors across the USA that deal exclusively with vinyl and compact discs.

 3. Oldies and 80's related tribute bands that tour either nationally or only in specific areas of the USA.

 4. Long-lost artists from the 50's through the 80's that have new music or books they want to promote, but don't have the time or know-how to do it.

I would be open to discussion on other types of sponsors(such as a pest control business or a restaurant), but only if you have a reputable business with good intentions.

My stations have been around for anywhere from 8-11 years and can reach a worldwide audience; some people will tell you that I'm obviously devoted to yesteryear since I love concentrating on those hits and artists that most other oldies stations no longer touch! I know that some of my listeners love to travel, buy records and see tribute shows, so as CSN once said: "What have you got to lose?"

If you're interested in learning more, then please PM me through Facebook or use the contact form and/or chat function on my websites(http://retroatticrareoldiesradio.com and http://awfullyawesomeeighties.com). As Canned Heat once said: "Let's work together" and build an oldies-devoted network!

Please also note that if you would like to support my stations through other methods, then I do accept donations(one-time or a monthly subscription) through the Paypal buttons on my website. You can also show your support by checking out my auctions and set sales on E-Bay(please see the sidebar listing on this site or search on E-Bay for the seller ID of "retroatticmusic"); maybe I will have a collectible that will interest you!