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By 1989 (the last option on your poll), TOP-40 as a format was in steep decline and practically dead. By the time the horrible 1996 Telecommunications Act allowed a few people to own most radio stations in the country, it was essentially gone.
Of course, all periods have their moments and good music, but the zenith of TOP-40 music was the Summer of 1967. Here's the Boss 30 list from the late and very lamented KHJ in Los Angeles for 8/30/67:
1. The Letter/The Box Tops 2. Brown-Eyed Girl/Van Morrison 3. Ode to Billie Joe/Bobby Gentry 4. The Look of Love/Dusty Springfield 5. Gimme Little Sign/Brenton Wood 6. Reflections/Diana Ross & Supremes 7. Baby I Love You/Aretha Franklin 8. All You Need Is Love/Baby You're A Rich Man/The Beatles 9. Mr. Soul/Buffalo Springfield 10. There is a Mountain/Donovan 11. San Franciscan Nights/Eric Burdon & Animals 12. Carrie Anne/The Hollies 13. Apples, Peaches, P. Pie/Jay & The Techniques 14. I Dig Rock n Roll Music/Peter Paul and Mary 15. Happy/The Sunshine Co. 16. Come Back When You Grow/Bobby Vee 17. You're My Everything/The Temptations 18. You Know What I Mean/The Turtles 19. Words/The Monkees 20. Cold Sweat/James Brown 21. Twelve Thirty/Mamas and Papas 22. Hypnotized/Linda Jones 23. Incense and Peppermints/Strawberry Alarm Clock 24. I Make A Fool of Myself/Frankie Valli 25. Museum/Herman's Hermits 26. Never My Love/The Association 27. Love Bug/Martha & the Vandellas 28. Groovin'/Booker T. and the MGs 29. Two Heads/Jefferson Airplane 30. Walkin' Proud/Pete Klint Quartet
Of course, this is only the top 30 for a single week. Here is just a small list of some other charting songs for 1967, and there are many, many more:
I Was Made To Love Her/Stevie Wonder White Rabbit/Jefferson Airplane A Whiter Shade Of Pale/Procol Harum Light My Fire/Doors Can't Take My Eyes Off You/Frankie Valli Windy/Association Come On Down To My Boat/Every Mothers' Son Don't Go Out Into The Rain/Herman's Hermits Hip Hug-Her/Booker T. & The MG's A Thousand Shadows/Seeds Gentle On My Mind/Glen Campbell Bluebird/Buffalo Springfield A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You/Monkees Penny Lane /Strawberry Fields Forever/Beatles I've Been Lonely Too Long/Young Rascals At The Zoo/Simon & Garfunkel I Think We're Alone Now/Tommy James & The Shondells Western Union/Five Americans The Happening/Supremes When I Was Young/Eric Burdon & The Animals I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You/Aretha Franklin Jimmy Mack/Martha & The Vandellas Somebody To Love/Jefferson Airplane Happy Together/Turtles
Today, of course, all formats are so "specialized" that music formats would never include a broad range of popular music types. And the classic local DJ's of the past, such as Real Don Steele, Robert W. Morgan, Humble Harve, etc., at KHJ, Cousin Brucie at WABC (New York), Harry Harrison at WMCA (New York), or Art Roberts at WLS (Chicago), have all been replaced with a single "voice tracked" DJ in some dark booth somewhere providing bland service for many stations across the country. It's McRadio!
All the personality DJ's are now in talk radio, unfortunately. Even OxyRush used to do Top-40 in the early 70's as "Jeff Christie" at KQV in Pittsburgh.
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