Artists TOTALLY SHUNNED by Classic Rock Radio

 Back in June, I made a post about some songs that classic rock stations play way too much of. Now, in this post, let's take a look at some of the artists that don't get enough attention on your local classic rock station.

The Moody Blues: Before there was ELO, there were the Moodies. Their initial debut album and sound was the typical British Invasion sound of the day, but 1967's Days of Future Past changed them forever. For it was on this record, that they began incorporationg orchestration into their music thanks to Michael Pinder's mellotron (and later the Chamberlin). Days included some of their well-known hits such as Tuesday Afternoon, and Nights in White Satin. Later successful albums included: Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, To Our Children's, Children's Children, A Question of Balance, and Seventh Sojorm, representing the peak of their success.

Ted Nudgent/Amboy Dukes: Detroit's Ted Nudgent, and the Amboy Dukes scored big during the psychadelic era of the late 60s with hits such as Baby Please Don't Go, and Journey to the Center of the Mind. Nudgent himself later scored hits in the 70s with Cat Scratch Fever, and Stranglehold (Do any classic rock stations play the latter any more?), as well as hooking up with Tommy Shaw of Styx fame to form Damn Yankees, who had a hit with High Enough.

Jethro Tull: Why oh why is this group shunned from classic rock radio? Like strings defined the Moodie and ELO, Tull's distinct sound were Ian Anderson's flute solos. Anderson, who was on a budget at the time, picked up a second-hand flute and began teaching himself to play, so as to not sound like a third-rate guitarist. Although rare in the beginning, the flute began to define Tull's sound more in the 70s, such as on Teacher, Cross-Eyed Mary, and Locomotive Breath, as well as on later hits such as Bungle in The Jungle.Sadly, your local classic rock station is not giving them the respect they deserve...

The Sweet: Dubbed in my opinion as "ELO without strings," The Sweet took glam rock to a whole new level with their 1973 smash hit The Ballroom Blitz. Other his of theirs, which SHOULD BE played, include Fox on The Run, and Love is Like Oxygen. Oh, and did I mention that they're not even in the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame yet?

The Guess Who/Bachman Turner Overdrive: Predominent on Canadian classic rock radio, classic rock stations south of the border seem to care less for them, for some reason. The Guess Who earned a string of hits with American Woman, These Eyes, No Time, No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature, and Share the Land among others. BTO's signature hit, Takin' Care of Business, is one many may remember from Office Depot ads back in the day, but they also had a few other hits such as Let it Ride, Roll on Down The Highway, Blue Collar, and Lookin' Out for Number 1, that US classic rock stations should consider bringing back pronto.

Blondie: A little femenine touch in rock, Chris Stein and Debbie Harry took their band on a slow rise, but really made an international breakthrough with their third LP, 1978's Parallel Lines with hits such as Heart of Glass, and One Way or Another. Other hits they had at the height of the NY punk scene include Call Me - written in collaboration with Giorgio Moroder, Denis, Dreaming, Sunday Girl, and Hanging on The Telephone. So why aren't our local classic rock stations giving them more attention?

The Pretenders: Another example of girl-punk, the Pretenders broke through with their 1980 self-titled debut, featuring their #1 smash hit Brass in Pocket. Despite drugs plaquing the band's career, The Pretenders got back on their feet with their 1984 and 1986 LPs Learning to Crawl, and Get Close, respectively - the former featuring hits such as Back on The Chain Gang, and Middle of The Road. Unfortunately, your local classic rock station is paying little mind to them, if at all.

Allman Brothers Band: This Macon, GA band scored big with their 1969 self-titled debut featuring the track Whipping Post, and in the 70s scored hits such as Jessica, Melissa, Ramblin' Man, and In Memory of Elizabeth Reed. They are pioneers of southern rock, even before Skynyrd was popular, so why aren't your local classic rock stations giving one of their tunes a spin once in a while?

Genesis: OK. They only broke through when they went pop unlike their rivals such as Yes and Floyd. However, some of their hits deserve spins on classic rock radio. If you can play Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight, there is NO reason that you can't play Abacab, Mama, That's All, Misunderstand, Land of Confusion, even I Can't Dance, and even some hits of the Gabriel era such as I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe).

Yes: Another band that earned a new generation of fans in the 80s, but it's important to know that this band was just as big in the 70s. Sadly, it seems your local classic rock stations are only playing hits from 1983's 90125. I can't remember the last time I heard something like Roundabout, or Yours is no Disgrace on my local classic rock station.

Uriah Heep: Sure, they were not big metal gods such as Zeppelin, or Sabbath, and they did make a lengthy composition, July Morning, (which by the way, was inspired by other long heavy metal numbers of the day like War Pigs, Sweet Child in Time, and Stairway to Heaven), but that doesn't mean that all their hits were long. Demons and Wizards, Easy Livin', Woman in Black, and Stealin' are some of the many tune your local classic rock jocks have been shunning.

Crosby, Stills, Nash/Neil Young: I put Neil Young separately for a reason, because his songs are hardly ever spun (short of Rockin' in the Free World), but seriously folks, CSNY are what you might consider an expanded Simon and Garfunkel thanks to their haromonies and folksy arrangements. The band made it big with their 1969 self-titled debut, featuring the smash hit Suite Jody Blue Eyes. Their follow up LP, 1970's Deja Vu features Woodstock and Carry On/Questions, among others which classic rock stations have dropped as of late.

Chicago: OK, adult contemporary stations now play more of their 80s hits than classic rock stations play songs combined. Chicago were defined by being a rock band with a horn section, and hits such as Make me Smile, Colour my World, Saturday in the Park, Beginnings, Old Days, and even their horn-less cover of the Yardbirds' I'm a Man used to get heavy rotation on classic rock radio, but that simply doesn't seem to be the case by 2020.

So, why do I think this is? Well, the reason I feel these acts have been cast aside is two-fold. Part of it has to do with some of the lengthy compositons they recorded, especially prog rockers, but also I think is the fact that by 2020, the "new" generations of the late 80s/early 90s, when classic rock was born, have now become "semi-old timers." Therefore, classic rock stations seem to want to play more Metallica, and less prog rock.

That doesn't mean that their playlists should entirely be void of the aforementioned acts. Having special weekend programs, for example, emphasising prog or psychadelic rock, etc. would really help strike a fine balance between the newer and older generations.