Search - Various Artists :: Cruisin 1970

An Insult To The Memory of The Rock of Chicago

Robert A. Jones | Eastern Oregon | 03/03/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The original vinyl LP versions of Cruisin' 1955 through Cruisin' 1967 were pretty good re-creations of Top 40 radio in a number of cities. They give you the flavor of what great radio stations sounded like in those years. Unfortunately, Chicago was not included in that series: no WLS, no WCFL, no WJJD, not even WYNR! The closest they came was Dick Biondi in Buffalo in 1960, just before he moved to WLS.



The Cruisin' 1968-69-70 volumes, produced by different people, are of a much poorer quality, and the CD reissues of ALL the earlier volumes have been butchered.



The last volume of the year-by-year series finally landed in Chicago, but I kinda wish it had veered off to Rockford or Peoria or someplace else, because it's just plain BAD. It appears to have been spliced together by a first-time tape editor, because it's very sloppy and makes no sense. There are several wildly different weather forecasts within the program. There's an ad for a Sears record sale that promotes LPs not yet released in 1970. There's a pre-election political ad and a Thanksgiving sale ad; the election would have been over three weeks before Thanksgiving. So what? So WLS was a very high quality professionally-run 50,000-watt clear-channel radio station, not some 250-watt daytimer in Podunk. It had the best and smoothest over-the-air sound of any Top 40 station anywhere. This disc is NOTHING like the real WLS of the '60s and '70s.



Skip this piece of crap and search out a real WLS or WCFL aircheck (off-the-air recording) if you want to re-live Chicago Top 40 Radio at its best. There are many from which to choose. For example, besides getting a Larry Lujack aircheck, you can also get Art Roberts, Clark Weber, Barney Pip, or Jim Runyon's classic mid-'60s morning drive time show on WCFL, where Chickenman was born.



If you want to enjoy the Cruisin' Series, seek out the original GRT / Increase Records vinyl LPs, even if you have to get someone to copy them onto CD-Rs for you. Forget the CDs, especially this one."

Captures the mood of AM Radio perfectly

Home Cinema | Switzerland | 02/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's true that most of the songs are lesser known. But in my opinion this adds to the charm of this series. The 1970 issue is a special one in many ways: First, it is basically not 1970 but more 1970 up to 1973. But this is no disadvantage. Second, it is the last one of the Cruisin' series and it's hard to find. Get it if you can and seek out the others of the Cruisin' series as well. Listening to it in one go sitting in your 69 Mustang Mach 1 (if you got one that is), you will be transformed back to the early 70s like in a true time machine. It's like listening to the real AM Radio at the time. The songs are great, too. Give it a try. Trust me, it is pure listening pleasure while driving. I was living in Florida in the 70s and am now back in Switzerland. This CD reminds me of the time more than anything else."

Crusin' 1970

chicago radio listener | 12/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I grew up in the Great Lakes Area and do remember Kris Eric Stevens on 89 WLS at night. Used to fall asleep listening...

school next morning don't you know. All of the titles in the Crusin' series are apt to put you in that time and place especially if Dad let you use the car. If Dad let you use the car or you had your own...the radio was on. Excellent ride."