Hi, I'm
Toto Moto!
As you know, I'm Shady's dog,
Shady's Place blog mascot,
Chief Petting Officer and
a DJ on SPMM Radio.
I'm here today with Toto's Tutorial, a special post previewing a new feature
coming soon to SPMM Radio - the "Piggyback Cold Open." Piggyback
cold opens (aka Piggyback cold intros) will ramp up the excitement
and realism of my show and the shows of other Shady Bunch DJs.
coming soon to SPMM Radio - the "Piggyback Cold Open." Piggyback
cold opens (aka Piggyback cold intros) will ramp up the excitement
and realism of my show and the shows of other Shady Bunch DJs.
BULLET
"White Lies, Blue Eyes" by the one-hit-wonder rock group Bullet,
is an example of a record with a cold intro or cold open because it
begins with vocals rather than an instrumental lead-in. Top 40
radio stations loved records like this one because they were
an exciting way for programmers to follow a station
identification jingle and get the next block of
songs started "with a bang."
is an example of a record with a cold intro or cold open because it
begins with vocals rather than an instrumental lead-in. Top 40
radio stations loved records like this one because they were
an exciting way for programmers to follow a station
identification jingle and get the next block of
songs started "with a bang."
Let's try the Piggyback cold intro on that Bullet record. First click to play
the jingle below. Using your mouse, hover the pointer over the time counter
so that you can keep track of the elapsed time. When the jingle hits the
16 second mark, let it continue playing while you bring the pointer
down and click the "White Lies, Blue Eyes" song video beneath it.
If your timing is right you will perform a seamless transition from
the jingle below. Using your mouse, hover the pointer over the time counter
so that you can keep track of the elapsed time. When the jingle hits the
16 second mark, let it continue playing while you bring the pointer
down and click the "White Lies, Blue Eyes" song video beneath it.
If your timing is right you will perform a seamless transition from
the jingle to the record the same way the pros do. Give it a try!
PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
AND AT 16 SEC MARK, CLICK
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
"White Lies, Blue Eyes" - Bullet
(Dec. 1971/Jan. 1972, highest chart pos.
#28 Hot 100/#25 Cash Box)
Now scroll down the page and practice the Piggyback
technique on the rest of the jingles and songs
representing various styles and music genres.
Use your imagination and substitute
"S-P-M-M" for the call letters
used in the jingles. It's fun!
representing various styles and music genres.
Use your imagination and substitute
"S-P-M-M" for the call letters
used in the jingles. It's fun!
BOBBY LEWIS
PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
AND AT 8 SEC MARK, CLICK
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
"Tossin' And Turnin'" - Bobby Lewis
(July/Aug. 1961, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100/#1 R&B)
THE CRAZY WORLD
OF ARTHUR BROWN
PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
AND AT 12 SEC MARK, CLICK
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
"Fire" - The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown"
(Sept./Oct. 1968, highest chart pos. #2)
THE BEATLES
PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
AND AT 9 SEC MARK, CLICK
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
"Help!" - The Beatles
(Aug./Sept. 1965, highest chart pos. #1)
OTIS DAY & THE KNIGHTS
Ft. LOUCHIE LOU - MICHIE ONE SHOUT
Most records of the 50s and 60s had relatively brief running times and many had
cold opens. Singles released from the late 60s to present tend to run longer and
have instrumental intros rather than vocal intros. However a bold, attention-
grabbing instrumental intro works well as a Piggyback. Here's an example.
PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
AND AT 9 SEC MARK, CLICK
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
"Shout" Otis Day The Knights
ft. Louchie Lou - Michie One Shout
(1989 single)
THE MARVELETTES
PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
AND AT 7 SEC MARK, CLICK
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
TO START SECOND VIDEO!
"Playboy" - The Marvelettes
(May/June 1962, highest chart pos. #4 R&B/#7 Hot 100)
Doggone it, I had fun with those Piggybacks
and I hope you did, too. Let me know if
you got the technique to work for you.
Stay tuned for more
Piggyback show opens
coming soon to
S-P-M-M radio...
"the station
with personality!"
I know WAKR as a TV station, channel 23, the ABC affiliate out of Akron, which gave you a fuzzy picture if you watched it in Cleveland, which I had little reason to do, since Channel 5, the ABC affiliate out of Cleveland, had many of the same shows with a much clearer picture. Still, there were some differences in the parts of the day where the network didn't hold sway, usually old reruns that were by that time in syndication like The Rifleman. Apparently, there's a radio station with the same call letters as well. I probably listened to it at one time or another and just don't remember.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about the "Help" video. The movie of the same name was in color, so it's obviously not taken from that. The Fab Four must have made what was at the time called a promotional film independent of the feature film. Maybe they thought if the feature film tanked at the box office (which it didn't--it was a solid hit) they could still promote the song!
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for coming by, good buddy. You, sir, are the early bird this week!
I was excited about posting that 1971 WAKR Akron "Tops in Radio" jingle, suspecting that you might have something to tell me about it. It was common then and it is still common to have two television stations affiliated with the same network operating in the same primary coverage area. Down here we have two ABC stations - WFTS-28 and WWSB-40. When I first came to town in the mid 80s, WTSP-10 was the major ABC affiliate in the market. It is now a CBS station.
I watched The Rifleman first run and also watched another Western series starring Chuck Connors that made its debut a couple years after Rifleman ended. It was called Branded. Ever hear of it?
The Beatles made two promos related to Help!. The first, which used footage from the film's title sequence, was played on the British pop music shows Top of the Pops and Thank Your Lucky Stars. The second, the one featured here in Toto's Tutorial, was shot November 23, 1965, and ran on the year-end recap special of Top of the Pops.
I am interested in knowing if you got these piggybacks to work for you. It's very exciting when you get the timing right. Please let me know.
Thanks, Kirk, and enjoy the rest of your week!
Yes, Shady, I piggybacked just as you said and it worked out fine.
DeleteI'm afraid I never heard of Branded. This is unrelated, but I do recall then-Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev hugging Chuck Conners in the early 1970s. Something to do with detente.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for returning to answer my question, good buddy! I am delighted that you and perhaps some of the other readers were able to make the Piggyback intro work. It's fun and exciting, isn't it?
No, I don't recall Brezhnev hugging Chuck Connors as a gesture of detente, however I do remember porn actress Carol Connors hugging Chuck Barris in her role as a hostess and "introducer" on The Gong Show. Does that count for anything? :)
Thanks again for coming to chat, good buddy Kirk!
Toto Moto has done another fantastic job of posting some blast from the past music here today. I played several while I danced in front of the computer. Fortunately, I'm alone and didn't embarrass myself too much. The cat did leave the room.
ReplyDeleteHi, Cheryl-Lee!
DeleteThank you very much for dropping by, dear friend. You were almost the early bird this time. I am grateful!
I'm pleased as punch my pooch tickled you with tunes from the Time Tunnel in Toto's Tutorial. (How's that for a tongue-twister?)
If you were motivated to jum-pup and dance, then I hope you caught the action on video and intend to post it on your site. :) I promise I will not leave the room as I watch it. :)
Thanks again for coming over, dear friend Cheryl-Lee. I'll be over your way soon. Enjoy the rest of your week and the merry merry month of May!
Help! I'm afraid I wasn't familiar with most of these except for, well.... Help! Blue Eyes sounds vaguely familiar, same for Fire - but maybe not.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly!
DeleteThanks so much for coming over, dear friend. YouTube is filled with tutorials these days and my K-9 kompanion, Toto Moto, was determined to post one as well.
"White Lies Blue Eyes" is a seldom heard pop-rock nugget that peaked near the bottom of the top 30 nationally. Some local radio stations might have had it ranked much higher on their surveys, while stations in other parts of the country might have skipped it entirely. "Fire" was a major hit, finishing in the top 3. That song and video by Otis Day and the Knights was new to me until very recently. I decided to give it to Toto to use in this post. The last song was a big hit for the Motown girl group The Marvelettes. Remember you were asking me about their other hits just a couple of weeks ago?
I know better than to ask if you got the Piggyback effect to work because I am aware that you do not have high speed internet. That's a shame because it is very exciting to run the jingle and the song back to back and achieve a seamless transition with no "dead air" between, just like the deejays did in the glory years of AM top 40 radio.
Thanks again for joining the fun, dear friend Kelly, and enjoy the rest of your week!
I am the god of hell fire - great way to start a song.
ReplyDeleteNever thought about how radio stations would like or use songs that started that way.
And that one station is out of North Carolina.
Hi, Alex!
DeleteThanks for coming by, good buddy! You can't teach an old dog new tricks, so they say, but my old dog, Toto, hopes to teach you and the other readers a new trick - how to perform a Piggyback intro.
"Fire" by Arthur Brown has one of the loudest and most shocking intros in pop music history, and it was an ideal record for a rock radio station to use to kick-off a block at the top or bottom of the hour. Right, Alex, one of those station i.d. jingles is from a station in North Carolina. I found two dozen more jingles from stations coast to coast and I will be using them in upcoming radio shows here on SPMM, so stay tuned.
Thanks again for reporting in, good buddy Alex, and enjoy the rest of your week!
Hi Shady!
ReplyDeleteThe piggyback intros are a clever addition! A couple of them reminded me of the Spanish stations we have here, where the exuberant announcer seems to be shouting too close to the mic as if the event he’s at is so packed every listener better get there quick to take part ;-)
I’d forgotten all about that great song by Bullet, and didn’t even know it by name. My great grandma did her own delightful version of the twist to “Tossin and Turnin’” – fun times, those. Not one of the elders in our house cared for the song “Fire” but everyone loved “Help” by the Beatles. Was Ringo actually winking while holding an open umbrella indoors? Have you seen the compelling Google ads using that song on TV lately? I was anticipating Mr. Postman at the introduction of “Playboy” but at least they won’t be accused of plagiarism ;-)
I’ve enjoyed this post, my friend. Thanks for sharing music and stirring memories!
Hi, diedre!
DeleteThanks a lot for coming by, dear friend! My dog aims to fleas and I hope you enjoyed Toto's Tutorial, explaining how to execute the perfect piggyback on SPMM Radio. I found at least two dozen of these station i.d. jingles from radio stations across the country, in various formats, and you will be hearing them in future volumes of Toto's Top Tunes Time Tunnel, Stuck Like Glue on Shady Blue, Shady Green and His Wayback Machine and other SPMM DJ shows.
I'm thrilled that you remember "White Lies Blue Eyes," a lost rock relic that is a favorite of mine. I bought that 45 around Christmas 1971 when the song was climbing the chart. For your enjoyment and mine, Toto posted the seldom heard version of "Tossin' And Turnin'" that has an extended intro which is slightly longer than the edited version that was popular on radio. Either version would work well as a piggyback. That Beatles video was shot three days after my sixteenth birthday and was shown in the UK on the Top of the Pops year-ender special that year. I was not familiar with those Google ads you mentioned and so I reported to YouTube and watched one just now. It is proof of the power of an iconic band and hit record to effectively advertise goods and services.
Thank you again for your visit and your fantastic comment, dear friend diedre. I hope your May is off to a great start and I wish you well until we meet again!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post! Piggyback Cold Opening is what DH did when he DJed for the summers. He's good at it. Me, not so much, but it's fun to try to hit the intro just right, though. Of your song features, the first and last tunes are introductions. I'm surprised I didn't know 'White Lies Blue Eyes'. Great song! The chorus sounds a little familiar now that I'm listening to it again. I can't say for sure if it's new to me or not now. *smack forehead* Thanks Toto Moto for a fine show! Have a doggone good day, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteI'm delighted to see you, dear friend! Thanks for coming over to experience Toto's Tutorial - "The Paws That Refreshes." :)
I remember you recently telling me that DH was a radio DJ. I'm glad you and he appreciate the art of the Piggyback intro, an exciting way for the radio programmer to begin a new song block at the top or bottom of the hour following a news break and station i.d. I have high speed internet and was able to make all six of these jingle/song pairings blend together seamlessly with no dead air.
Bullet is a little known rock band from New York City. I am happy to have introduced you to their only hit, "White Lies Blue Eyes." One of Bullet's members went on to join the lineups of two better known recording acts - K.C. and the Sunshine Band and Wild Cherry. A band in the UK called Bullet was sometimes mistakenly credited with doing "White Lies Blue Eyes." To avoid confusion, the English band changed their name to Hard Stuff.
I'm excited that you enjoyed Toto's Tutorial. You are a doggone great friend for coming over to see me so soon after finishing the grueling A to Z hop. I appreciate it! I hope DH's dental surgery went well. Have a tunetastic Thursday and a safe and happy weekend, dear friend Cathy!
Hi Toto! I apologize for being so late, but, I have a lot on my plate this week-you being one joyful item, for sure!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun this is, and great learning, also. First off the chart, I messed up with "White Lies Blue Eyes". However, I did enjoy the song. As the post went along, I got better. I was pretty anxious to hear Bobby Lewis' do "Tossin' and Turnin'" again...haven't heard that one in so long. This is one very fun song that everyone had a good time with, and deserved the #1 spot.
You can really pick them Toto! Arthur Brown's "Fire" is definitely eerie and spooky, but I always welcome a cool and explosive song. And, you will be pleased to know that I did great on "Help". The Beatles would be proud also.
I'm getting better as we go along, and the "Shout" video is a pretty cool one...I always liked the old "Shout" by the Isley Brothers. I do feel like I've heard this Otis Day version though.
We are getting a strong thunderstorm here in Fort Worth as I type! The rain is pummeling the streets and causing flash flooding. I'm hoping it stops before too long.
Toto, I want to thank you wholeheartedly for your Cold Intro to The Marvelettes' "Playboy" This is one great song and my favorite pick today! As a teenager, I recorded this one on my little Panasonic reel to reel recorder with two sisters who were friends of mine with great voices! I still remember all of the moves and words!
Hats off to you Toto and Shady, a great post! I didn't know what a cold intro is, although I remember plenty of tunes that start with them. Thank you for the study and giving us the opportunity to try your Piggyback techniques!
Have a great week's end, dear Toto Moto and Shady!♫
Hi, Suzanne!
DeleteI am thrilled to see you, dear friend! Thanks a lot for swinging over from Texas to experience Toto's Tutorial, an educational post that teaches the fine art of performing the Piggyback cold intro when you play deejay on SPMM Radio. In the future you will be encountering Piggybacks at the beginning of Toto's shows, Shady Blue's, Shady Green's and others, so keep practicing and perfecting your technique. If you mess up, all you need to do is refresh the page and try again.
I'm pleased that you like so many of Toto's Top Tunes, picked by my flea bitten pooch specifically because they lend themselves to the Piggyback format. I was ecstatic to find, in glorious HQ sound, that Bobby Lewis song with the seldom heard extended intro. I am also excited that you enjoy the harsh rock single "Fire" by Arthur Brown, a record that was played heavily on the campus radio station at Penn State.
I'm glad you nailed the intro to "Help!" and I know you marveled, as did I, at the remastered sound and picture clarity of that 1965 Beatles promo. I have experimented with the "Shout" Piggyback at least half a dozen times, and the beat always mixes seamlessly with that particular radio station jingle. I can't tell where one ends and the other begins - such a joy! As you might know, Otis Day and the Knights was originally a fictional band created for the rowdy 1978 movie National Lampoon's Animal House. Character actor DeWayne Jessie played Otis Day in the film and his vocals were dubbed using the singing voice of Lloyd G. Williams. As Wiki goes on to explain, << In the 1980's, DeWayne Jessie purchased the rights to the band name from Universal Studios and formed a real-life version of the band Otis Day and the Knights with some of his family members and toured the country for years afterward, with Jessie essentially assuming the identity of Otis Day. >>
I didn't know you like the early Marvelettes so much that it is your Pick To Click for Toto's post. Thanks for sharing the anecdote about recording the song as a teenager with two sisters who were friends of yours at the time. I wish you would post that recording on one of your blogs, dearie!
It makes me happy to entertain you and bring back your fond memories, Suzanne. Thanks again for dropping by. Please send some of that moisture our way. We could use it. Mrs. Shady and I will be traveling for a couple of days starting tomorrow, FYI, in case you contact me and I don't reply right away. Please take good care of yourself and Scootie and I hope to connect with you soon, dear friend Suzanne!
Hi Shady,
ReplyDeleteI'm only familiar with the Beatles and Marvelettes . You selected one of my favourite Beatles songs.
I'm really liking the sounds of the other artists you selected. I really like Bullet and I'm going to have to see if I can find other songs by them. I want to hear more!
Have a great Thankful Thursday.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for popping in, dear friend! I'm happy you came to hear Toto's tuneage and learn how to Piggyback in this special tutorial post!
I'm pleased that you enjoyed the songs by The Beatles and The Marvelettes. Did you try playing DJ and performing the Piggyback maneuver on each song? Bullet only had one other charted single, their follow-up to "White Lies" entitled "Willpower Weak, Temptation Strong." They also Bubbled Under with a cover of "Little Bit O' Soul," originally by The Music Explosion. My Joel Whitburn research book credits the latter single to the UK band called Bullet, but the label shows that it was released on Big Tree Records, the same label as the NYC band.
Happy Thankful Thursday to you as well, dear friend JM!
Thanks Toto for such a fun time! I enjoyed the songs and had fun playing DJ with you..and thanks for the video "Help"..gosh those guys were so cute! (I love you Paul!...sorry, I was 12 again for a minute!) I recognized a few of the tunes and learned about the others. Again, a cool way to be part of your world! Have a great day Shady...and Toto Moto!
ReplyDeleteHi, Yaya!
DeleteThank you very much for attending Toto's Tutorial, dear friend! I hope you enjoyed this lesson on how to perform a flawless transition from station i.d. jingle to the lead song of a radio program or song block. This technique will be used in many SPMM Radio shows in the future.
That "Help!" video does take us right back there, doesn't it? The picture and sound clarity are remarkable. You were 12 and I was just turning 16 when that special promo was produced and released. John was my favorite. I think I might have discussed this with you before, but it seems like most women and girls liked Paul and Ringo and most boys related better to John and George.
I'm delighted to know my old dog taught you some new tricks, and I urge you to use every second of your spare time perfecting the Piggyback. :) I was happy to introduce you to some new/old songs as well.
Toto Moto and I thank you again for coming and wish you a safe and happy weekend, dear friend YaYa!
This mix of music reminds me of when my family used to work carnies … We would sleep in and be there from 1300 or 1400 hours til 0200 or 0300 hrs … spinning records and starting and stopping rides … Your music selections brought back memories, friend Shady … especially when you click all selections at the same time … as that jumble of sounds mimics a typical town carnival very well … Us kids would then way after midnight go and check out the different venues on the grounds and look for money that inebriated customers accidently dropped … Thanks for taking me down memory lane, friend Shady and mascot dog Toto. Oh, and here is my ear worm music of the day just for you … https://youtu.be/I3sKIV6KugA … Much love, cat.
ReplyDeleteHi, cat!
DeleteHow are you, dear friend? Just returned from a two day trip, I am delighted to find such a meaty comment from you. Thank you, cat!
The stories you share about your life in years past are always interesting. I can only imagine what it was like for you and your family working as carnies. You were very clever to hit upon the idea of playing all six songs at once to simulate the jumble of sounds customers would hear as they made their way through the array of rides, each one playing its own music. I remember it well from my years of strolling the midway at the York Interstate Fair. I can picture you and the other kids combing the grounds after hours hunting for dropped coins. I'll bet you found quite a few.
Are you a cat or an ear worm? :) You got me again with this special techno mix of "Popcorn." I actually enjoyed it and don't mind having it stuck in my noggin for a while. :)
Thanks again for your visit and great comment, dear friend cat. Enjoy your Sunday and the week ahead!
I got most of the piggybacks...I am quite proud of myself:) I know the Fire song which always was quite unique. Of course, I know Help! and had to laugh at poor Ringo who only had to hold the umbrella. The "Shout" song I know well but not this version. I actually liked it even though i would never buy the CD. I also realized the baby in that video is now 30 yrs old...yikes!
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteThanks for coming over to catch up on the last two posts, dear friend!
I'm delighted to know you learned from Toto's Tutorial how to perform the Piggyback intro maneuver just like a real deejay. As a result you will be able to enjoy SPMM radio shows even more than before. Ringo was thankful to have that umbrella over his moptop when the fake snow started to fall near the end of the song. Good point about the baby in "Shout" being age 30 now. Look how young Sir Paul McCartney looked in 1965.
Thanks again for stopping by, dear friend BB!