Hey, K-Tel! Wouldn't it be great if....

You may have by now heard the news: Columbia House is coming back in 2016. Yes, the company that helped fill out my record collection (and later my cd collection) is getting back into the vinyl business. I'm sure they won't have the same unbelievable vinyl offers like they had in the 70s and 80s. Remember those offers? 13 albums for $1.00!

But the fact that they are going to be back selling vinyl is great news. And it got me thinking: if Columbia House can make a vinyl comeback, what about K-Tel?

For those of you wondering, K-Tel is still around; they haven't gone anywhere. They had some financial troubles in the late 90s for sure, but they still have a nice catalog of music, numbering over 6,000 tunes. In fact, they still license that music for all sorts of projects--from movies to tv and commercials. They have tunes from Chuck Berry and Etta James. B.J. Thomas and Leslie Gore. The Buckinghams and Tina Turner. I am sure they have many of the tunes that filled their wonderful albums of the 70s and 80s.

Wouldn't it be great if K-Tel started putting those songs back on vinyl? Not to recreate past albums, but assemble new titles for not only the generation who grew up on those albums but also the younger set discovering vinyl once again. These albums could be of higher quality--and less songs--but they could also recapture the look and nostalgia of those eclectic records hawked on tv and radio throughout the 70s and 80s.

Here's a great thought experiment: If you could put together the best of K-Tel in one limited edition collector's vinyl, what would you include?

Here's my choice: K-Tel presents Time Machine. 14 Original Hits, Original Stars.

A K-Tel concept album.

Side 1:

"Sky High" by Jigsaw
"Please Come to Boston" Dave Loggins
"Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel
"Walking in Rhythm" by the Blackbyrds
"Chevy Van" by Sammy Johns
"Living Next Door to Alice" by Smokie
"Gimme Just a Little More Time" by Chairman of the Board

Side 2:

"Sweet City Woman" by Stampeders
"I'm Not in Love" 10cc
"Jackie Blue" by Ozark Mountain Daredevils
"Rings" by Lobo
"Please Don't Go" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band
"Sylvia's Mother" by Dr. Hook
"Here Comes the Night" by Nick Gilder

Now that would be a great album!

K-Tel, are you listening?

1977, the Year of the Robot and the year of "Music Machine"

In 1977, robots invaded pop culture with the release of Star Wars.  And K-Tel jumped on that bandwagon big-time.  Music Machine features one of the most famous robots in history on its cover: Robbie the Robot from Forbidden Planet.  How K-Tel was able to feature that robot on the cover AND in the commercial is beyond me:


The album features an eclectic mix (as usual) of music from the time:  the disco hits of Andy Gibb, ABBA and K.C. and the Sunshine Band, a Kiss ballad, Kenny Rogers, Alice Cooper and the theme from Rocky.  K-tel spared no expense with this album.  It even has bonus Andy Gibb and K.C. and the Sunshine Band posters!

Music Machine from 1977 is the featured K-Tel album this month on Adventures in Vinyl, the only radio show dedicated to the glory of the K-Tel record compilation.  We will listen to the album in its entirety and even flip the record for you. Adventures in Vinyl can be heard at the following times (central):

Sunday 4 pm
Tuesday 1:30 pm
Wednesday 2 am
Thursday 10 am
Saturday 12:30 pm

Block Buster from 1976, this month on AiV

This month, we are traveling back to 1976 for K-Tel's Block Buster. This was one of my favorite albums when I was a kid.  Not only did it have K.C. and the Sunshine band, the Silver Convention and Jigsaw, the cover was adorned with flaming meteor-like blocks.  As if the designers at K-Tel decided, "We need flaming blocks for this one."

Like many of the K-Tel albums from this time, it was advertised on TV. And here is the delightful commercial:

Adventures in Vinyl is the only radio show dedicated to the glory of the K-Tel record compilation.

Catch Block Buster at the following times throughout the month of March (all times Central)

Saturday: 12:30 pm
Sunday: 4 pm
Tuesday: 1 pm
Wednesday: 2 am
Thursday: 10 am

Retro Repeat Month on Vinyl Voyage

Happy May.  It is Retro Repeat Month on Vinyl Voyage Radio.  Each week will feature a different K-Tel Album on Adventures in Vinyl.

May   1 - May 10    Believe in Music, 1972
May 12 - May 17    Block Buster, 1976
May 19 - May 24    Rock 80, 1980
May 26 - May 31    Music Machine, 1977

Adventures in Vinyl Can be heard on Vinyl Voyage Radio (all times Central):

Saturday, 11 am
Sunday, 4 pm
Tuesday, 1 pm
Wednesday, 2 am
Thursday, 10 am

 Join us on Memorial Day for the 2012 K-Tel Marathon.  We will feature every K-Tel album that has appeared on Adventures in Vinyl in chronological order starting at 6 am (Central).

Music Machine: A 1977 K-Tel Classic

In 1977, robots were all the rage.  After all, the most popular movie of the year introduced the world to two of the most famous robots of all time:  R2-D2 and C3PO.  It would only make sense that K-Tel would cash in by putting the previous most famous robot on the cover of it's new compilation album, Music Machine.  That robot is, of course, "Robby" from Forbidden Planet and Lost in Space.  Here, he dances to the various hits of 1977 in the commercial aired for the album:

Music Machine is the featured album on this month's Adventures in Vinyl.  It is actually a pretty good album. In fact, all but one of the songs appears on the Year End Billboard Hot 100.  On this album you will find Foreigner, Andy Gibb, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Manfred Mann, Elton John and even Bill Conti with his theme song to the movie Rocky.

The album came with two posters as well: one of Andy Gibb and the other of K.C. from K.C. and the Sunshine Band.

Adventures in Vinyl can be heard on Saturday morning 11 am (CT), Sunday at 4 pm (CT), Tuesday 1 pm (CT), Wednesday 2 am (CT) and Thursday 10 am (CT). 

This may be the last chance to hear Adventures in Vinyl.  We have been on the air for a year and our subscription on Live365 will run out February 3.  We are not sure we will be continuing the station.  If you've been listening for awhile, thank you.