The Band on the radio

Just sitting here listening to the self-titled album by The Band, reading the thread on deep album cuts on the radio, when I realized:

I've never heard a song by The Band on the radio.

I first heard them on a jukebox in a bar, where Up on Cripple Creek and The Weight were popular choices. But I cannot remember ever hearing them on the radio. Don't you think they should be a popular choice for the oldies channels, or classic rock?

 

Or "Across The Great Divide"....

Depends on the market. I was lucky to grow up and hear The Band on some classic rock stations. They used "The Best Of The Band", one of the early Capitol Cds...

 

"Cripple Creek" gets played occasionally on oldies radio out here.

 

Rag Mama Rag was the only Band song to get lots of airplay and to chart in Australia at the time of release.

Of course oldies radio now plays The Weight and Dixie Down as well, but they weren't played at the time.

 

Our oldies station will play "Up On Cripple Creek" on occasion, and our classic rock station will play that one along with "The Weight". They'll also sometimes play Dylan's "Forever Young", but I know that doesn't really count.

And that's it for the Band on Detroit-area commercial radio. Sad, isn't it?

 

It's not really surprising though.

Take Van Morrison as another example. Out of an enormous catalogue, how many Van songs get played on radio?

Brown Eyed Girl
Moondance
Bright Side Of the Road
Gloria

Can't think of any others.

The Band's catalogue is of course much smaller.

 

Now that you mention it, I haven't heard The Band on the radio for Yonks. Q107 in Toronto used to play it quite often. I still enjoy Q's Psychedelic Sunday very much. I just wish they had more records! Jeff

 

On one occassion, I remember hearing "Strawberry Wine"-- a very welcome, but somewhat obscure selection. But on those precious few other occassions that The Band have graced the radio while I was listening, I think it was invariably "The Weight". I don't recall hearing "Up on Cripple Creek", but I can see how it would show up on the playlists of certain classic rock stations.

 

I heard "The Shape I'm In" just the other day.