For Deeper Oldies, Try Radio Veronica
Written Oct. 24, 2007 by Sean Ross in Content with 1 Comment
In my recent posting on where to find pre-Beatles Oldies, I didn't delve into where to find deeper, but more recent oldies. Having started listening to Top 40 radio in the late '60s, I'm more interested in some oh-wow songs from that era than in hearing Connie Francis and Bobby Rydell. And for me, the most reliable place to discover new Oldies has been European Oldies radio.
European Oldies radio seems to come in two shapes and sizes. Some are essentially gold-based ACs with a '70s/'80s focus -- not so different from the recently relaunched WCBS-FM New York. Some, however, are much older and deeper, almost anthropological in their approach to the '50s and '60s; (meaning that you get plenty of the pre-Beatles stuff, too, just not exclusively).
The Netherlands' Radio Veronica falls into the latter category. Since I discovered it two weeks ago, it's been a good source for obscure '60s oldies, including some local ones. In between, I've come across everything from Sun-era Elvis Presley to a '60s rock instrumental of "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" to French MOR artist Gilbert Becaud. Currently playing: the Moody Blues' 1965 "Stop." As that description suggests, some of it is a little too eclectic for my tastes, but if your goal from an Oldies station is discovery, it's a very good place to hear "new oldies."
Reader Comments
Your 2¢, in chronological order — add your comment below.
Point of order: there is no such thing as "oldies." There is simply good music and bad music. Great music is timeless.
That said, Chatham, Ontario's CFCO and Windsor, Ontario's CKWW are pretty hard to beat for digging deep. Can Con leanings notwithstanding, it's hard to fault stations that routinely spin the Guess Who's version of "Flying On The Ground Is Wrong", Barry Allen's "Love Drops" or Terry Black's "Unless You Care".
A far better alternative to hearing "Brown Eyed Girl" or "You Can't Hurry Love" for the 1,478th time this year.
Michael McDowell
Editor/Publisher
Blitz Magazine
Since 1975 - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People