Day 18 – A Song I Wish I Heard On The Radio
“Need More Time” – The Epoxies
This was one of the easiest, yet also hardest, of the assignments. There are so many great bands that deserved airplay. A few local bands are among my favorites that have had decent careers but never gained the notoriety they deserved. Sister Psychic, Supersuckers, Fastbacks, Hammerbox, and The Gits are prime examples. Several “national” acts gained some success with one song, and while they managed to keep going for several albums, they just never caught onwith the public at large. Too Much Joy, Odds, Scruffy the Cat, or John Vanderslice to name a few. Then there are the international acts from around the world that nobody has ever heard of outside of some small circles – Johnny Clegg, Angelique Kidjo, Cui Jian, Oreskaband or Les Rita Mit Soku. Don’t get me started on famous acts that have songs that were singles that flopped or album cuts that should have been chart toppers.
It would be easy, and it was my initial reaction, to immediately recommend The Ramones for this. The band is highly influential and deserves much more airplay than it ever got. Then there are some personal favorites, such as Replacements, Devo, or Motorhead. A number of great songs by great bands are overlooked all the time.
Conversely, there are plenty of songs that I don’t like hearing on the radio. Well, maybe that’s not quite accurate. Most radio stations seem to have 12 – 20 songs they have in heavy rotation, and that’s it. They will play the new single for a while, then fall back to the same playlist. I really don’t think downloaded music is killing the industry, but instead it’s the lack of variety being offered on radio and MTV’s decision to no longer air music videos. That’s another topic, however.
So I mention all of this, but ultimately wind up picking “Need More Time” by The Epoxies because it represents a number of things that I felt was wrong with radio. It was a newer band, but had a decidedly old school (new wave) sound. No radio station played the band that I know of. Maybe if they did get some airplay they would have a bit more success and would still be together. Apparently the band broke up a couple of years ago and the lead singer has a solo album out. I wish radio would take more chances outside of the same old playlists.