This Week in Rock – in 1978. 39 years ago it was about David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Tom Petty and Ray Parker Jr. All the news and the goings on in the studio and on the road. Put together by the BBC and hosted by the late, great Brian Mathew, with interviews by Richard Skinner and others.
The late 70s were such a period of flux for music – interesting, listening to the interview with Tom Petty where he explains his popularity actually came via the UK first, before he was discovered in the U.S. – I forgot all about that. Peter Gabriel working on his third album, along with an interview over his choices for Producer, going from Bob Ezrin to Robert Fripp. Ray Parker Jr. along his new band Raydio, in London for a series of gigs and interviews – years before his breakthrough success with the theme for Ghostbusters.
New recruits for Paul McCartney‘s Wings and rehearsals for a new tour – 39 years later . . .still on the road. But not much about the Punk/New Wave scene. This was syndicated Radio designed for U.S. audiences – the five minute capsules ran one each day and were sponsored by the U.S. Army – this was Pop Music for Pop Radio consumption and the comings and goings of Pop Music stars. Nothing edgy or controversial. But still gives you an idea of what the musical climate was like in 1978 – MTV wouldn’t be launched for another three years and radio was still the dominate force in catering to an audience. Although AM was eclipsed by FM, there were stalwarts and holdouts, but this was just about the end for many Top-40 formats. Radio was changing – Pop Culture was changing.
At the time it didn’t seem any different than it had been for years before. But in subtle, almost invisible ways, we were changing by leaps and bounds.
And here’s a 28 minute slice of what we were spending our money on then.
