Cannot agree with all your sentiments Stu.
This is on a personal level. They have certainly not taught me nor turned me on to more great music and artists than any other single source ever. I don't know where that credit lies for me though, except perhaps the old record stores & record racks not exclusively in record stores. Now HEARING the records could be a problem, but if I had seen one and then BOOM it's out there, I could go...ah, so! And that take a chance on something totally unheard of personally, those were often incredible. And just as important old time radio. A station I'll not mention in Joe's hometown USED to be very much like Planet Rock......quite a long time ago. Traveling listening to other radio stations I could sense how a locality could differ slightly on some tastes and also just putting the national stamp of approval on a huge hit (maybe a case of follow the leader in instances). Magazines, like Rolling Stone (USED to be-more musically centered than image) and Creem, Billboard & Cashbox, et al, trade mags were even more informative. The local and traveling locality libraries. Dances, jam sessions, concerts...And the coup de grace, friends and families collections and conversations in any of the aforementioned contexts blow it completely to pieces that Planet Rock could meet the same threshold for me. But, I am the EXTREMELY curious type, and generally known for somewhat anomalous behaviors and attitudes in many aspects.
That said, I could not agree more completely with your topic post title: Thank Goodness for UK's Planet Rock! And I'd add !!!!!!!!!!! to it! What they DO do is what no station stateside does or even DARES to do. Rock and ROCK ON and ON!!!
How hard is it? I dunno I always thought it could be so easy. Planet Rock makes it certain for me, it is easy. Now I can't say I dig everything they put on, and a few actually put me off, but man are they so few and so far and few between.
And they ARE British, so no reason NOT to play more British Rock. Some of it didn't make it in the states because it wasn't our consensual "thing". But for me, I just dig it a lot. An awful lot. And yes, the learning & enlightenment truly Rocks On! They are a great bunch and a great station and worthy of your exciting title as closing commentary:
Thank Goodness for UK's Planet Rock!
ROCK the P-p-p-p-planet ON & K-k-k-k-keep the F-f-f-f-Faith,
Rocket
US of A Wake the heck up. Duncan, excellent comments and yes blues PLEASE (and not as an off time slot short weekly program-Arrrrgh)! Also MORE less obvious tracks , especially on American cuts would skyrocket them for me (but a fair share of the obvious also, absolutely). Just because something is old and musty or rusty doesn't mean it won't go over surprisingly well (same could be said about LOTS of blues songs interjected regularly). When someone might call in-er, write in, and say "Wow, I never knew such and such played that song"!...or "I've never heard that such and such song nor the such and such artist before, and you said that's something HOW old (or even as well, NEW)"?, that's what I'd like.
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