Songs That Remind Me of
ARTIST | SONG | ALBUM | YEAR | |
 | AC/DC | Let's Get It Up | For Those About To Rock We Salute You | 1981 |
| A huge song from a huge album. I'm glad it's not overplayed today. | ||||
 | Bryan Adams | Lonely Nights | You Want It - You Got It | 1981 |
| Although Adams was trying to find his sound on a few tracks I thought this album had at least four great songs worthy of being a strong follow-up to this debut. For some reason one wasn't chosen. (Thanks Mark G.) | ||||
 | Bryan Adams | Take Me Back | Cuts Like A Knife | 1983 |
| Bryan Adams' first couple of albums had a good number of songs that rocked. I get bummed when guys like him trade this in for a more adult contemporary sound. | ||||
 | April Wine | Oowatanite | Stand Back | 1975 |
| What's that April Wine song that starts with the train bells? | ||||
 | April Wine | Shot Down | The Whole World's Goin' Crazy | 1976 |
| I can't believe this wasn't a hit outside of St. Louis. It's never on any of the compilation CDs and still isn't cited by critics as a better song on the album. It's one that always gets me fired up. | ||||
 | April Wine | Sign Of The Gypsy Queen | Nature of the Beast | 1981 |
| 1981 was a great year for album rock. This was an example of a band that had paid its dues and finally hit it big. It's an injustice only 'Just Between You And Me' from this album gets airplay today. | ||||
| April Wine | All Over Town | Nature of the Beast | 1981 |
| Unlike Sign of the Gypsy Queen, many people have a tough time remembering this song by its somewhat generic title. This is the rocking song that kicks off the album that makes people go 'Oh Yeah' when they hear it again. | ||||
 | Atlanta Rhythm Section | Homesick | Quinella | 1981 |
| When I first heard this I found it hard to believe it was the same band I knew for 'So Into You' and 'Imaginary Lovers'. Here they really sounded like a Southern Rock band. | ||||
 | The Babys | Everytime I Think Of You | Head First | 1978 |
| The Babys had some good songs that started as a ballad but built up to a rockin' song. This is one of better ones I don't hear much today. | ||||
 | The Babys | Back On My Feet Again | Union Jacks | 1980 |
| Produced by Keith Olsen, this song has the Babys at their best… ready to rock, even when John Waite sings about being lonely. | ||||
 | Bad Company | Crazy Circles | Desolation Angels | 1979 |
| How stoked was I during the summer of '79 when I bought the 45 Rock & Roll Fantasy and Crazy Circles was its B-Side? This song continued to get strong airplay during KWK's prime years. | ||||
 | The Beat | Don't Wait Up For Me | The Beat | 1979 |
| KWK played more than Journey, Rush and Styx. They also played some great power pop that barely got played anywhere else, including this gem from The Beat. This fantastic debut album, and many others in its genre, kind of got ignored when the rock press turned on The Knack. In order to avoid confusion with The English Beat, the follow-up album was credited to Paul Collins' Beat, which produced another big KWK hit. (Thanks Val P.) | ||||
 | The Beatles | Penny Lane | Rarities | 1980 |
| Played daily long before and after KWK rocked FM 106, the version off this album has the extra trumpet riff at the end. It still hasn't been released on CD and when I hear this ending I always remember KWK played this version. | ||||
 | Pat Benatar | Looking For A Stranger | Get Nervous | 1982 |
| Pat changed her sound and look (inspiration for Toni Basil?) to fit in more with MTV. Even though it sounds dated, it's still a great song. | ||||
 | The Blend | The Prize | Anytime Delight | 1979 |
| Eagles producer Bill Szymczyk was the Executive producer on this Maine band's second album for MCA. Saddly, band leader and writer Jim Drown passed away in 2002 at the age of 55. (Thanks to Val P.) | ||||
 | Bliss Band | Doctor | Neon Smiles | 1979 |
| Doctor came from the same album that produced the original version of That's The Way That It Is, a KWK hit three years later for Uriah Heep. | ||||
 | Blue Öyster Cult | Shooting Shark | The Revolution by Night | 1983 |
| One of the last good 7+ minute songs in rock (Knockin' at Your Back Door by Deep Purple and What You Give by Tesla also come to mind). | ||||
| Blue Öyster Cult | Take Me Away | The Revolution by Night | 1983 |
| Co-written by Aldo Nova. Makes sense now, doesn't it? | ||||
 | Michael Bolton | Fools Game | Michael Bolton | 1983 |
| It's funny to think that this is Mr. Time Love and Tenderness himself. I own a Columbia compilation album called METAL MANIA that has this tune and also features Judas Priest, Fastway and Aerosmith. This song was co-written by Touch lead singer Mark Mangold. | ||||
 | Bon Jovi | She Don't Know Me | Bon Jovi | 1984 |
| KWK got the jump on Runaway, playing a demo produced by Billy Squier a year or so before the album came out. When the album was recorded the label wanted them to record this song written by Mark Avsec, who had been in Breathless and co-wrote Ah Leah! with Donnie Iris. The band has since stopping playing this song. Too bad, it's a good one. | ||||
 | Breathless | Takin' It Back | Breathless | 1979 |
| I was a bit bummed when I bought the 45 of Hold The Line by Toto and the B-side, Takin' It Back, was not this song. When I later got the album, I was glad to see one of the band guys wearing a Blues jersey. I later found out these guys were from Cleveland. | ||||
 | Martin Briley | Salt In My Tears | One Night with a Stranger | 1983 |
| One of the many songs (including Def Leppard's Pyromania hits) that KHTR played more than most other top 40 stations in the US. My belief was that was caused by KWK's competition. | ||||
 | Brownsville Station | Lady (Put The Light On Me) | Brownsville Station | 1977 |
| I never knew why KWK played this, but not their original version of Smokin' In The Boys Room. Also from this album was The Martian Boogie, but KWK only played a sample of that song in a commercial that claimed Fat Cats was the 'Boogie Capital of the USA'. | ||||
 | Jim Capaldi | Living On The Edge | Fierce Heart | 1983 |
| KWK didn't play much by Traffic, but they did play this song by their drummer (the only consistent member other than Steve Winwood). | ||||
 | Tony Carey | I Won't Be Home Tonight | Tony Carey / I Won't Be Home Tonight | 1983 |
| This album came out in two versions: One was 'Tony Carey' with the red cover and the other, 'I Won't Be Home Tonight', had a drawing of Tony's back as he was approaching a spaceship. | ||||
 | Tony Carey | A Fine Fine Day | Some Tough City | 1984 |
| It's funny that with three great lead singers in less than 10 years, Rainbow could've had a fourth instead of only using Tony's keyboard talents. | ||||
| Tony Carey | The First Day of Summer | Some Tough City | 1984 |
| Tony was prolific in '83-'84. Two solo albums, and two Planet P albums. The second Planet P Project release, Pink World, was a double album. | ||||
 | Peter Cetera | Livin' In The Limelight | Peter Cetera | 1981 |
| Can this be the same guy who left Chicago and recorded all those soft hits? | ||||
 | Cheap Trick | Stop This Game | All Shook Up | 1980 |
| One of those with a heavy fade-in, this album was produced by Beatles master George Martin. | ||||
 | Cheap Trick | I Can't Take It | Next Position Please | 1983 |
| Produced by Todd Rundgren, this has a great AM sound. Sad that 4 years after the live At Budokan album these guys were playing Six Flags. | ||||
 | Chilliwack | Fly At Night | Dreams, Dreams, Dreams | 1977 |
| A song that predates KWK, but still makes me think of the old station. It fit right in with the high vocals and great opening guitar riff. | ||||
 | Paul Collins' Beat | On the Highway | The Kids Are The Same | 1982 |
| On the Highway, for better or for worse, sounded like Paul Collins' attempt to get airplay after his band's debut got only nominal play with 'Rock And Roll Girl' (outside St. Louis) and 'Don't Wait Up For Me'. Before The Beat, Collins had been in The Nerves with Peter Case. Case's band, The Plimsouls, would have a hit in May of 1982 with 'A Million Miles Away', a song that would live on for decades thanks in part to its inclusion in the film Valley Girl. (Thanks Val P.) | ||||
 | Chalie Daniels Band | Reflections | Million Mile Reflections | 1979 |
| This is a mellow tribute to Elvis, Janis Joplin and especially Ronnie Van Zant. I still get chills when I hear Charlie singing about being in St. Louis when he heard the Freebird had fallen. (Thanks Mark G. and Val P.) | ||||
 | Chalie Daniels Band | Still In Saigon | Windows | 1982 |
| Charlie Daniels had two consecutive huge albums, Million Mile Reflections and Full Moon, that got him a lot of airplay on Rock, Country and top 40 stations. This was the first track from his follow up, Windows. Unfortunately this moving tribute seemed to be the last of his steady stream of big hits, but his fans know he's continued to make great music. I didn't realize it at the time, but Charlie may have been the oldest guy with new hits on KWK, having been born in 1936, the year after Elvis was born, but 9 years before Eric Clapton was born. | ||||
 | Rick Derringer | Don't Ever Say Goodbye | Guitars and Women | 1979 |
| Produced by Todd Rundgren, I still find it amazing that this is the same guy who sang the oldie 'Hang On Sloopy'. | ||||
 | Dave Edmunds | Slipping Away | Information | 1983 |
| Produced and written by Jeff Lynne, it's a great song that was a serious change for Dave Edmunds after Rockpile. I remember he played Six Flags on this tour. | ||||
 | Dave Edmunds | Almost Saturday Night | Twangin' | 1981 |
| An old John Fogarty tune, this song did not stay on KWK's playlist long after its initial release. It's the only record I bought on Zeppelin's Swan Song Records other than Bad Company and Zep/Plant. | ||||
 | Fastway | Easy Livin' | Fastway | 1983 |
| Speaking of Zeppelin, these guys got a fraction of the grief Kingdome Come would get 5 years later for 'ripping off' the Zeppelin sound. I loved it. | ||||
| Fastway | Say What You Will | Fastway | 1983 |
| The first time I heard this I wanted to learn the opening guitar riff. As KWK started to add more top 40 songs I was always happy when this came on. | ||||
 | Don Felder | Heavy Metal | Heavy Metal (OST) | 1981 |
| Long heavy fade in (common on KWK) on this song from the movie we all wanted to see made me wonder for a minute if Joe Walsh was really the coolest Eagle. | ||||
 | Don Felder | Bad Girls | Airborne | 1983 |
| As much as I liked this song, I always thought this solo sounded just like the one he played on Heavy Metal. | ||||
| Don Felder | Never Surrender | Airborne | 1983 |
| Hey is that Kenny Loggins singing background vocals? I guess it makes sense if he co-wrote this with Don. (Thanks to Val P.) | ||||
 | Jay Ferguson | Shakedown Cruise | Real Life Ain't This Way | 1979 |
| It seemed like during the summer of 1979 KWK only had a few records and this was definitely one of them. | ||||
 | Firefall | Strange Way | Elan | 1978 |
| Featuring a Flying Burrito Brother and the drummer from The Byrds, Firefall scored a couple of big light hits with songs like 'You Are The Woman'. 'Strange Way' sounded almost like it came from a different band. Its sound fit perfectly on KWK while bigger earlier hits weren't played much if at all on KWK. | ||||
 | Dan Fogelberg | Tullamore Dew / Phoenix | Phoenix | 1979 |
| Until this album Fogelberg had the same respect on rock stations that The Eagles and Jackson Browne had earned. His big hit from this album, 'Longer', (along with numerous future hits) helped to reclassify him as an Adult Contemporary singer, but this title track showed Fogelberg could rock. (Thanks to Val P.) | ||||
 | Foreigner | You're All I Am | Double Vision | 1978 |
| Produced by Keith Olsen. Foreigner made solid albums, often with a great ballad like this. Unfortunately the ballads became the scapegoat when their success waned. | ||||
 | Foreigner | Women | Head Games | 1979 |
| I liked this album better than the mega popular 4. It's got a good consistent rock sound throughout and I'll Get Even With You has some of the catchiest melodies they did. Women was a bit of a different song for them, but that opening guitar line brings me back to KWK. | ||||
 | Foreigner | Break It Up | 4 | 1981 |
| This was the biggest album of the fall of '81 (or was it Billy Squier's Don't Say No?), and while Juke Box hero still reminds me of KWK, it still gets played a lot, unlike this KWK gem. | ||||
 | Peter Frampton | Breaking All The Rules | Breaking All The Rules | 1981 |
| Hard to believe, but just 5 years after Frampton Comes Alive! critics were calling this album Peter's second comeback attempt. This rockin' song, which first appeared the previous year on the South American release 'Rise Up', should've gotten more than the brief amount of airplay it received. Five years later Frampton scored another AOR hit with 'Lying'. | ||||
 | Chuck Francour | Under The Boulevard Lights | Under The Boulevard Lights | 1980 |
| Produced by George Tobin with Mike Piccirillo. I don't really know much about these guys, but I know more than I know about Chuck. They also worked on albums for Robert John and Kim Carnes, which leads me to believe they were in house at EMI America. The song was written by Piccirillo and Gary Goetzman. Goetzman went on to produce mvoies like Stop Making Sense, Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Supposedly there was a video for this song shown on HBO's Video Jukebox. I always wondered if the bridge of this song was a tribute to Springsteen's Born to Run. | ||||
 | Frankie & The Knockouts | Running Into The Night | Frankie & The Knockouts | 1981 |
| While the rest of the country turned the pop friendly song Sweetheart into a top 10 hit, KWK instead chose to play this. | ||||
 | Frida | I Know There's Something Goning On | Something's Going On | 1982 |
| How did this woman from ABBA end up being played on stations like KWK? Maybe it was the production by Phil Collins or the song writing by Russ Ballard (Rainbow's Since You Been Gone, Santana's Winning, etc.) | ||||
 | Gamma | I'm Alive | Gamma 1 | 1979 |
| Ronnie Montrose on guitar and future Night Ranger member Alan Fitzgerald on keys. Fitz can be seen on this back cover without his sunglasses. I recently discovered this was a cover of a UK number one hit for The Hollies in 1965. | ||||
 | Genesis | Like It Or Not | Abacab | 1981 |
| It's funny to think of hearing Phil Collins in the same set as AC/DC or Ozzy Osbourne, but it used to happen. This song was written by Mike Rutherford. | ||||
 | Ray Gomez | Make Your Move | Volume | 1980 |
| Upset by the lack of promotion from his label, Ray returned to session guitar work after this debut album. His can be seen on the back of Scandal's debut EP. | ||||
 | Barry Goudreau | Dreams | Barry Goudreau | 1980 |
| My friends and I always called this The Lost Boston Song. | ||||
 | Sammy Hagar | Run For Your Life / Danger Zone | Danger Zone | 1980 |
| A cover of a song by Runner. I'm glad Sammy did this because I like it so much better than the original version. | ||||
 | Sammy Hagar | Can't Get Loose | Standing Hampton | 1981 |
| Standing Hampton was another huge album in KWK's arsenal. One out of at least 5 songs that got played, not hearing this on the radio today reminds me of KWK. | ||||
 | Sammy Hagar | Remember The Heroes | Three Lock Box | 1983 |
| Co-written by Jonathan Cain, produced by Keith Olsen. | ||||
 | Heart | Allies | Passionworks | 1983 |
| Written by Jonathan Cain, produced by Keith Olsen. (Sound familiar?) | ||||
 | INXS | Don't Change | Shabooh Shoobah | 1983 |
| A song that gave KWK a modern sound, I'm surprised, but glad, that it hasn't been overplayed through the years. | ||||
 | Donnie Iris | Ah! Leah! | Back on the Streets | 1980 |
| A powerful and memorable intro, a lot more people could sing the opening lines of this than name its artist. Iris had a huge hit 'The Rapper' in the early 70s with his band Jaggerz. Good or bad, that oldie isn't a standard on most stations today. (Although I think its intro may have inspired the Beavis & Butthead theme.) | ||||
 | Jefferson Starship | Can't Find Love | Winds of Change | 1982 |
| Jefferson Starship in the KWK years consisted of Mickey Thomas, Grace Slick and Paul Kantner. This forgotten song was one of the many (Stranger, Jane, Find Your Way Back) heard a lot on KWK. I don't know if there was any band from the 60s that had as many new KWK hits. | ||||
 | Journey | Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' / City of the Angels | Evolution | 1979 |
| Played together in many markets when it was released, today I hear Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' on the radio more than I could hope, but NEVER with City of the Angels (unless I happen to be in Kansas City). | ||||
| Journey | Too Late | Evolution | 1979 |
| This ballad blows away Open Arms and Faithfully. Hearing this really makes me miss guitar solos in modern songs. | ||||
| Journey | Just the Same Way | Evolution | 1979 |
| One of the last great Journey songs to start with Gregg Rolie on lead vocals. | ||||
 | Journey | Where Were You? | Departure | 1980 |
| In a three year period Journey cranked out 'Infinity', 'Evolution', 'Departure' and 'Escape', plus the double live 'Captured'. This was the strong follow-up to 'Anyway You Want It'. | ||||
 | Journey | Stone In Love | Escape | 1981 |
| There were so many great albums released in 1981 and this song was on the air as much as any other song from this album, but is rarely heard today [Or that was the case when I first wrote this... I've been hearing it again quite a bit lately.] | ||||
 | Kansas | On the Other Side | Monolith | 1979 |
| It took Kansas a couple of years (forever back then) to follow up Point of Know Return with another studio album. The song was given a good share of airplay upon its release, but significantly less by the time their next album was released. | ||||
| Kansas | People Of The Southwind | Monolith | 1979 |
| The keyboard intro of this was a staple on KWK during all its glory years. | ||||
 | Kansas | Everybody's My Friend | Drastic Measures | 1983 |
| John Elefante was only in Kansas for two albums, but he sang some great songs during that time. | ||||
 | The Kings | This Beat Goes On / Switchin' To Glide | The Kings Are Here | 1980 |
| A bit of new wave rock that mysteriously went out of print early after its release given that it was on a major label, had national airplay and was produced by Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd's the Wall, Kiss, Alice Cooper, etc.) | ||||
 | Krokus | Screaming In The Night | Headhunter | 1983 |
| Too bad they decided to follow up this album by covering Sweet's great hit Ballroom Blitz. | ||||
 | Loverboy | Take Me To The Top | Get Lucky | 1981 |
| A plodding synth beat, but the guitars and vocals make it a great song in between a ballad and a rocker. | ||||
 | Loverboy | Strike Zone | Keep It Up | 1983 |
| On this tour these guys sold out 2 nights at the Checkerdome when Supertramp, always a strong draw in St. Louis, barely missed selling out for one night on their last Roger Hodgson tour. Guys over 20 were not happy. | ||||
 | Manfred Mann's Earth Band | For You | Chance | 1980 |
| The third time (after Blinded By the Light and Spirit in the Night) Manfred Mann's Earth Band scored a hit by covering a song from Bruce Springsteen's first album. They'd only be heard once again with 'Runner' 3+ years later. Trevor Rabin was the associate producer on this album. | ||||
 | Frank Marino | Strange Dreams | Juggernaut | 1982 |
| Mahogany Rush was one of those bands I knew rocked (and headlined Kiel), but had no songs I could name. I don't remember if KWK played anything by them, but they played this track a lot from their guitarist. | ||||
 | Marshall Tucker Band | It Takes Time | Tenth | 1980 |
| This was the last radio hit I remember from Marshall Tucker. I've seen them live in the years since, often not knowing who was a member back in the 70s, but they've always sounded really good. | ||||
 | Bob & Doug McKenzie | Take Off | Great White North | 1982 |
| Like it or hate it, KWK played this as SCTV's popularity and creativity peaked. Add fellow Canadian Geddy Lee (for 10 bucks) and you've got a popular novelty hit that was soon forgotten. | ||||
 | Men At Work | Be Good Johnny | Business As Usual | 1982 |
| Unknown upon the release of 'Business As Usual', the popularity of MTV and Top 40 bands like Men At Work would help significantly change KWK's format in 1983. Men At Work's fame exploded in the US in 1982 with lots of talk about their videos and what was in a vegemite sandwich. 'Be Good Johnny' was a popular AOR track that was not released as a single. | ||||
 | Missouri | Movin' On | Missouri / Welcome Two | 1977/9 |
| Predating the debut of KWK by about a year, the original version of this song from the 1977 debut, along with its intro, fit right in on KWK. Having the Arch on the cover of the self titled album fooled me into thinking they were local band. Of course, they were from Kansas City. Missouri decided to re-record 'Movin' On' for their sophomore, and big label debut, release 'Welcome Two'. From that time on KWK played the intro from the first album into the version of 'Movin' On' from the second. | ||||
 | Eddie Money | Runnin' Away | No Control | 1982 |
| KWK programmers did a great job in playing this often overlooked song from the very popular album. | ||||
 | Moving Pictures | What About Me | Days of Innocence | 1982 |
| This may be an example of KHTR's influence on KWK's programming. KWK didn't usually play a ballad like this unless a band had established itself as a rock band. I was always baffled by why this was re-released in 1989. | ||||
 | Moxy | Sail On Sail Away | Moxy | 1976 |
| This song had been on St. Louis radio for a few years when KWK picked it up, but it always sounded fresh along with the other songs KWK played. On their fouth album, Under the Lights, Buzz Shearman was replaced on lead vocals by Mike Rynosky, who would shorten his last name to Reno when Loverboy was formed. | ||||
 | Nantucket | Heartbreaker | Nantucket | 1977 |
| These guys were from North Carolina and opened for Kiss and AC/DC through the years. They were on a major label (Epic) and should've been bigger than they were. | ||||
 | Nantucket | California | Your Face Or Mine | 1979 |
| Great night time KWK formula used here: fade in into, start out sounding like a ballad, but then rock out. | ||||
 | Nazareth | Holiday | Malice in Wonderland | 1980 |
| I was surprised to learn this was Nazareth, when to me it sounded like a Southern Rock band. | ||||
 | Nazareth | Hair of the Dog | Hair of the Dog | 1975 |
| I still hear it today, and when I do I continue to wonder why it ended up in heavy rotation on KWK in late 1982. This was as popular as the Granny's Rocker commercial. | ||||
 | New England | Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya | New England | 1979 |
| Produced by Paul Stanley of Kiss, this was played a lot when it came out and not at all soon after. | ||||
 | Night Ranger | Sing Me Away | Dawn Patrol | 1982 |
| When Sister Christian was a hit everyone was surprised Drummer Kelly Keagy sang lead. Those people weren't paying attention to this hit from their debut. | ||||
 | Aldo Nova | Fantasy | Aldo Nova | 1982 |
| In between playing George in Beatlemania and producing Celine Dion, Aldo Nova made some rocking albums. | ||||
 | Aldo Nova | Monkey On Your Back | Subject… Aldo Nova | 1983 |
| While very good, this album got only a fraction of the attention his first got. The rest, including Blood on the Bricks with production and song writing help from Jon Bon Jovi, got significantly less. | ||||
 | Gary O' | All The Young Heroes | Gary O' | 1981 |
| Canadian Gary O'Connor truncated his last name for this solo debut. This was played a lot on KWK during 1981. This is also one of the few songs on this list that wasn't played on any other station in St. Louis. (Thanks Jim B.) | ||||
 | Off Broadway USA | Stay In Time | On | 1979 |
| Off Broadway's debut is a Power Pop classic. Unfortunately, these guys were doomed when they went on tour to open for UFO and other metal bands that didn't fit their sound or image. Looking back this album was ahead of its time, as Power Pop finally developed a strong following in the 90s. Off Broadway reformed then and became a popular draw around Chicago. | ||||
 | Orion The Hunter | So You Ran | Orion The Hunter | 1984 |
| Another Barry Goudreau song, but what gives? It doesn't sound as much like Boston as 'Dreams' did. Oh, Fran Cosmo sings lead on this, not Brad Delp. Quit confusing me. We want the real Boston. As KWK was trading rock for top 40 it would be a couple of more years before Boston's Third Stage would be released. Funny that when Boston's 4th album was released Cosmo had replaced Delp. | ||||
 | Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Take You Tonight | Ozark Mountain Daredevils | 1980 |
| The Springfield Missouri guys left A&M for Columbia records and got some good airplay with this Southern Rock song. | ||||
 | The Alan Parsons Project | Prime Time | Ammonia Avenue | 1984 |
| It's surprising The Alan Parsons Project got as many songs played on KWK given that most of them didn't rock. This really doesn't either, but its opening guitar lines fit right in on a KWK night time free ride. | ||||
 | Pink Floyd | Not Now John | The Final Cut | 1983 |
| It took Pink Floyd almost 4 years to follow up The Wall, and when they did only this song got some airplay (with its friendly edit of 'Stuff All That'). | ||||
 | Planet P | Why Me ? | Project | 1983 |
| Tony Carey, along with producer Peter Hauke, used Planet P as his sci-fi rock outlet. | ||||
 | Robert Plant | Burning Down One Side | Pictures at Eleven | 1982 |
| This song picks up right where In Through the Out Door left. The albums closer 'Mystery Title' also received a fair bit of airplay on KWK. | ||||
 | Robert Plant | Far Post | Burning Down One Side UK 12" | 1982 |
| 'Far Post' doesn't sound like it was recorded between Robert Plant's first two solo LPs. It sounds more like a track from the mid 80s. This arrived on an import 12" in the fall of 1982. The next year it was the B-Side to 'Big Log'. In 1985 it made its only LP appearance on the 'White Nights' soundtrack. | ||||
 | Robert Plant | Other Arms | The Principle Of Moments | 1983 |
| The very strong opening track from Plant's second LP. I'm surprised how 'In The Mood' is in heavy radio rotation today but this song is not. Interestingly, KWK chose not to play 'Big Log', this album's lone Top 20 hit, very much. | ||||
 | Point Blank | Nicole | American Exce$$ | 1981 |
| Everyone's favorite line: 'You started looking like a burn out'. | ||||
| Point Blank | The Way You Broke My Heart | American Exce$$ | 1981 |
| The opening keyboard intro is a definite moment in the KWK sound. | ||||
 | Prism | Don't Let Him Know | Small Change | 1981 |
| Written by Bryan Adams before I knew who Bryan Adams was. | ||||
 | Prism | I Don't Want to Want You Anymore | Beat Street | 1983 |
| A power ballad from a band I didn't realize had changed members, including their lead singer, since the previous album. I don't know if this was a hit anywhere outside St. Louis. | ||||
 | Pure Prairie League | Two Lane Highway | Two Lane Highway | 1975 |
| This predates KWK by more than three years. It was released right after their two and a half year old song 'Amie' became a hit, which KWK also played with its 'Falling in and out of Love' into. KWK played these older songs along with some of the band's new more adult contemporary sounding ones featuring futre country superstar Vince Gill on lead vocals. | ||||
 | Queen | Need Your Loving Tonight | The Game | 1980 |
| This album was huge for Queen but the hits Another One Bites the Dust and Crazy Little Thing Called Love turned off many old fans. While not playing these hits, KWK did not abandon Queen, but instead focused on this song from the album. | ||||
 | Trevor Rabin | Now | Face To Face | 1980 |
| A rocking album from the guy who would later accidentally reunite Yes for the 90125 album. His 1989 hit, Something to Hold on to, would have fit right in on KWK. | ||||
 | Rainbow | Since You Been Gone | Down to Earth | 1979 |
| I always thought it was bold for Rainbow to cover this a year after Head East did it. They did a great job and KWK played their version instead of that of semi-home town band Head East. Lead singer Graham Bonnett looked out of place on the inner sleeve... looking like a Calvin Klein model in the mid 80s surrounded by a a hard rocking English band in the late 70s. | ||||
 | Rainbow | Stone Cold | Straight Between the Eyes | 1982 |
| Roger Glover's fat keyboard sound, Joe Lynn Turner's convincing vocals and Ritchie Blackmore's signature solo created a great night time song that also barely crept into the top 40. | ||||
 | Rainbow | Street Of Dreams | Bent Out of Shape | 1983 |
| A great song from the end of Rainbow. A year later Ritchie & Roger would be back with Deep Purple on their come back album Perfect Stangers. | ||||
 | Red Rider | Lunatic Fringe | As Far as Siam | 1981 |
| I loved when KWK started their Free Rides with songs that had a long heavy fade in like this (and Don Felder's Heavy Metal). This song appeared with John Waite's Change on the Vision Quest Soundtrack. (It's possibly the only album to feature Madonna and Dio.) | ||||
 | REO Speedwagon | Back On The Road Again | Nine Lives | 1979 |
| Sung by bassist Bruce Hall, this was a super bonus when I bought my Nine Lives 8-track because I didn't realize it was REO. | ||||
| REO Speedwagon | Easy Money | Nine Lives | 1979 |
| KWK played this a lot during late summer/ early fall in 1979, but it was off their playlist by the time we entered the 80s. | ||||
 | REO Speedwagon | Tough Guys | Hi Infidelity | 1980 |
| This album sold 9 million copies, but most fans opted for the greatest hits when it came time to get the CD. Tough Guys (with its Little Rascals sampling) got a lot of airplay during this album's 15 week stay at #1, but was never heard again after everybody bought their copy. | ||||
 | Rockets | Oh Well | Rockets (Turn Up the Radio) | 1979 |
| This got a lot of airplay in the fall of '79. It was a while later before I found out this was a Fleetwood Mac cover. I prefer this version. | ||||
 | Paul Rodgers | Cut Loose | Cut Loose | 1983 |
| Bad Company's last Paul Rodgers album, Rough Diamonds (with the KWK song Electric Land), was a disappointment after the success of Desolation Angels. A lot of fans thought Rodgers would come back when he released his solo (as in all instruments) album. It had some great songs, including this one that was played for about a month, but soon wound up in the cut-out bins. When Rodgers teamed with Jimmy Page, he re-cut 'Live In Peace', originally from this album, when The Firm recorded Mean Business. | ||||
 | Rush | Entre Nous | Permanent Waves | 1980 |
| Rush got a lot of airplay on KWK, but most of those songs are still being played today. While many consider Moving Pictures their masterpiece, I prefer its predecessor. Not hearing Entre Nous much today, it reminds me how much KWK played Rush. | ||||
 | Saga | Wind Him Up | Worlds Apart | 1983 |
| This song never got close to being a top 40 hit, but you'd never know that if you listened to KHTR. Once again I believe KWK competition helped drive some programming over at KHTR. | ||||
 | Santana | You Know That I Love You | Marathon | 1979 |
| I bought this album mainly for All I Ever Wanted, but was really excited when I heard this forgotten song on the record. | ||||
 | Scandal | Goodbye To You | Scandal | 1982 |
| My city didn't get MTV until late 1985, but my friends who had it raved about this video, something about a short red skirt, every time the song was on KWK. | ||||
 | Neal Schon & Jan Hammer | No More Lies | Here to Stay | 1983 |
| I was surprised Neal Schon put this out two weeks before Journey released Frontiers. I was also pretty surprised when his partner on this became Mr. Miami Vice Theme. | ||||
 | Scorpions | You Give Me All I Need | Blackout | 1982 |
| Blackout is a really strong album. Metal with melodies. These guys pioneered the metal power ballad. | ||||
 | 707 | I Could Be Good For You | 707 | 1980 |
| 707 played this on the NBC Friday Night show Midnight Special. I'd love to see it. Along with Kiss and Angel, they were one of the few rock bands on Casablanca Records. | ||||
 | Sherbs | No Turning Back | The Skill | 1980 |
| At first I thought this might have been Santana's singer Alex Ligertwood, but it was the Australian band formally known as Sherbet. Huge in their home country, Sherbet had an international hit with Howzat around 1977. | ||||
 | Sherbs | We Ride Tonight | Defying Gravity | 1982 |
| Sounding a bit like No turning Back, this found some airplay outside St. Louis, while the former found almost none. (AOR stations preferred I Have The Skill.) | ||||
 | Shooting Star | Last Chance | Shooting Star | 1979 |
| Released in '79 on Virgin Records and re-released the next year on Epic, this great debut was produced by long time Elton John master Gus Dudgeon. Even though I still hear this song (and have heard it on stations in Detroit and San Jose) on occasion, its stronggest impression on me is as a KWK staple. | ||||
 | Shooting Star | Are You On My Side | Hang on for Your Life | 1981 |
| Shooting star had almost 10 songs from their first two albums that got airplay, but this was left off The Best Of and has almost been forgotten. | ||||
| Shooting Star | Hollywood | Hang on for Your Life | 1981 |
| How Shooting Star missed the big success Kansas and other bands had is beyond me. This album is better than most bands' greatest hits records. This song had the story and the emotion to make it one of the most memorable KWK tunes. | ||||
 | Danny Spanos | Hot Cherie | Passion in the Dark | 1983 |
| A good rocker that was forgotten shortly after it was released… until almost 10 years later when Neal Schon's band Hardline covered it… and again forgotten about. | ||||
 | Rick Springfield | Calling All Girls | Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet | 1982 |
| KWK was lukewarm toward Rick Springfield. 'Jesse's Girl' was played on occasion, but Sammy Hagar's original version of 'I've Done Everything for You' got significant airplay as Springfield's version became a top 10 hit. When 'Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet' followed up the smash 'Working Class Dog' KWK played the album cut 'Calling All Girls' instead of the top 10 hit 'Don't Talk to Strangers'. KWK also played 'I Get Excited' from this album. (Thanks to Mark G.) | ||||
 | Spys | She Can't Wait | Spys | 1982 |
| A couple of semi-minor guys in Foreigner made an album that rocks and has some catchy hooks. | ||||
| Spys | Into The Night | Spys | 1982 |
| It's funny that the only song to chart, Don't Run My Life, was not played nearly as much as She Can't Wait and Into the Night. | ||||
 | Billy Squier | You Should Be High Love | Tale Of The Tape | 1980 |
| Billy Squier's debut is a strong and often overlooked album. This track was written by Squier and Desmond Child. Child had recently co-written the Kiss hit 'I Was Made For Loving You' with Paul Stanley and would go on to co-write more hits for Kiss, Bon Jovi (including 'You Give Love A Bad Name' and 'Livin On A Prayer') and Aerosmith (including 'Dude Looks Like A Lady' and 'Crazy'). Child also is responsible for the recording and producing of Ricky Martin's 'Livin La Vida Loca'. KWK briefly followed 'You Should Be High Love' with 'Who's Your Boyfriend' from this album. (Thanks to Jim B.) | ||||
 | Billy Squier | Too Daze Gone | Don't Say No | 1981 |
| This was one of the biggest albums from KWK's heyday. They played at least 6 songs from this album. | ||||
 | Billy Squier | Learn How To Live | Emotions in Motion | 1982 |
| A Platinum #5 album with 4 hits (also Everybody Wants You, Emotions in Motion & She's a Runner) that's also out of print?? | ||||
 | Billy Squier | Eye On You | Signs of Life | 1984 |
| Another great song from Signs Of Life. It's amazing that this Platinum Album with 3 hits is out of print. Many claim Squier rolling in pink sheets for the video of Rock Me Tonight killed his career. I never saw it, but instead blamed the disappointing follow-up Enough Is Enough. | ||||
 | Michael Stanley Band | My Town | You Can't Fight Fashion | 1983 |
| I'd love to hear the custom version again where they shout 'St. Louis' after the 'This Town Is My Town' line. [And, Val P. has answered this request. It's on the Listen page.] | ||||
 | Steel Breeze | You Don't Want Me Anymore | Steel Breeze | 1982 |
| A national one hit wonder that hasn't been heard much in the last 20 years. | ||||
 | Stingray | The Man In My Shoes | Stingray | 1979 |
| This song was played a lot upon its release, but not much after. This South African band had a big hit outside the U.S. with 'Better The Devil You Know' from this album. | ||||
| Stingray | Lovesaver | Stingray | 1979 |
| A bigger hit on KWK than 'Man in my Shoes', this was played throughout KWK's Rockin' Best years. (Thanks to Val P. and Jim B.) | ||||
 | Streets | If Love Should Go | 1st | 1983 |
| Another song that sounds like Kansas? Yeah, it's got Steve Walsh on lead vocals, but where are the violins? | ||||
 | Styx | Lights | Cornerstone | 1979 |
| 'Lights' had the strange distinction of being a B-side on two different singles that were released within a year of each other. First it backed 'Why Me?' and later it was the flip side of 'The Best of Times'. | ||||
| Styx | Borrowed Time | Cornerstone | 1979 |
| Proof that Dennis De Young needs Styx to rock. Styx rocks better with Dennis. Bring him back, but don't let him combine theater with rock. | ||||
 | Survivor | Poor Man's Son | Premonition | 1981 |
| Sylvester Stallone was inspired by this working class anthem enough to ask Survivor to come up with the them to Rockey III, which became Eye of the Tiger. | ||||
 | Survivor | Jackie Don't Go | Caught In The Game | 1983 |
| It's a bummer lead singer Dave Bickler had to leave the band after this album. He sounded great with them. | ||||
 | Marc Tanner Band | Hot And Cold | Temptation | 1980 |
| Neither this single nor album charted, but like many other greats in the same category, that didn't keep 'Hot And Cold' from becoming a popular KWK song. A decade later Tanner co-wrote and co-produced the (Gunnar & Matthew) Nelson #1 hit '(Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection'. (Thanks to Val P.) | ||||
 | Tarney / Spencer Band | No Time To Lose | Run for Your Life | 1979 |
| Two years after its release, A&M reissued this 45, both charted, but neither time did it hit the top 40. | ||||
 | Taxxi | I'm Leaving | States of Emergency | 1982 |
| Another great night time song. My friends and I mainly listened to KWK at night (while classmates watched Joanie Loves Chachi). I liked this because they seemed like one the few new wave/MTV bands that could lay on the heavy guitars for a great song. I think it also was the only rock band other than CCR I ever bought on Fantasy Records. | ||||
 | .38 Special | You Keep Runnin' Away | Special Forces | 1982 |
| Along with Chain Lightnin', here's a former hit by a popular band that seems to have been left behind. | ||||
 | Billy Thorpe | Children of the Sun | Children of the Sun | 1979 |
| Issued on Capricorn Records as they went under, this was quickly reissued on Polydor, and almost as quickly went out of print. A few years later it could be had in the cut-out bins for $1, but a few years after that you'd be lucky to find a clean copy for under $25. Thorpe was huge in Australia for decades and on KWK during late summer/ early fall 1979. Do yourself a favor and get the original version, not the remix. | ||||
 | Toto | I'll Supply the Love | Toto | 1978 |
| Along with 'Hold the Line' and 'Georgy Porgy', Toto's debut produced some significant airplay on KWK. This song was unique in how it sounds like a basic rock song until the end when it abruptly becomes funky. Ahh, those crafty session musicians. (Thanks to Val P.) | ||||
 | Touch | Don't You Know What Love Is | Touch | 1980 |
| It took me a long time to find out the story behind this band… they were from Long Island and evolved out of American Tears. Todd Rundgren produced their second (unleased) album and their lead singer, Mark Mangold, went on to write Cher's hit I Found Someone and work with Zebra's Randy Jackson. | ||||
| Touch | When The Spirit Moves You | Touch | 1980 |
| This great album starts off with a 1-2 punch of Don't You Know What Love Is / When The Spirit Moves You. Any fan of KWK music would love this album. | ||||
 | Triumph | I Can Survive | Progressions of Power | 1980 |
| Long considered a weak album compared its predecessor 'Just a Game' and its successor 'Allied Forces', KWK gave drummer Gil Moore the spotlight on vocals with this tune. (Thanks to Mike G.) | ||||
 | Triumph | Fight The Good Fight | Allied Forces | 1981 |
| This used to be my favorite song. Chalk another one up for the other Canadian power trio. | ||||
 | Triumph | A World of Fantasy | Never Surrender | 1983 |
| I was disappointed with this album after Allied Forces, but when the songs hit, like this, they hit big. | ||||
 | Tycoon | Such A Woman | Tycoon | 1978 |
| I think this band was a group of New York session guys. Different from the long heavy fade-in, this had an intro that was also perfect to hear at night on KWK. | ||||
 | Van Halen | Little Guitars | Diver Down | 1982 |
| Van Halen fans were disappointed when this album full of covers followed Fair Warning. Regardless, this song alone is worth buying the album. | ||||
 | Vandenberg | Burning Heart | Vandenberg | 1982 |
| This song was ahead of its time. The metal power ballad influx was still a couple of years away. Adrian Vandenberg later joined Whitesnake. | ||||
 | Joe Vitale | Lady On The Rock | Plantation Harbor | 1981 |
| Joe Walsh's drummer comes up with a KWK tune that features Joe on slide guitar | ||||
 | John Waite | Change | Ignition | 1982 |
| In between The Babys and Missing You, John Waite recorded this gem. He got a lot of respect from me when Bad English was formed. He'll get more when he records another rockin' album. (Note: this songs appeared with Red Rider's Lunatic Fringe on the Vision Quest Soundtrack). | ||||
 | Joe Walsh | Rivers (Of The Hidden Funk) | There Goes the Neighborhood | 1981 |
| Co-written with Don Felder, and supposedly a reject from The Eagles' 'The Long Run', this song was the briefly played follow-up to Joe's huge album rock hit from the same album 'Life of Illusion'. (Thanks to Tom) | ||||
 | Joe Walsh | I Can Play That Rock And Roll | You Bought It - You Name It | 1983 |
| The name of the song says it all. Joe returned to a great sound on this one. | ||||
 | Steve Walsh | Every Step Of The Way | Schemer-Dreamer | 1980 |
| Quite a few people have asked me 'What's that Kansas song that starts out WELL THEY CALLED THE FLAT PLANES KANSAS'… | ||||
 | The Who | Athena | It's Hard | 1982 |
| The Who went out on their first farewell tour in 1982 and left us with this album. All most people remember today is Emminence Front, but at the time (probably because it was released first) this was the bigger hit. Given KWK played a number of songs from Who's Next, it was surprising KWK played very few other older Who songs. | ||||
 | Wings | Daytime Nighttime Suffering | {Single} | 1979 |
| Good new solo Beatles songs were becoming fewer in the late 70s, especially with Lennon's inactivity. KWK played this song a lot during the summer of '79, but not much after. I bought the 45, but didn't realize it was the B-Side (to Goodnight Tonight) until a few months later. I was bummed when it didn't appear on the Back to the Egg LP, but it was added as a bonus track when the CD came out 10 years later. | ||||
 | Yes | City of Love | 90125 | 1984 |
| Prior to the 90125 album I think only I've Seen All Good People and Roundabout got any regular airplay on KWK. This was a huge album with a #1 hit, Owner of a Lonely Heart. The album had quite a few radio hits, but City of Love was my favorite. Surprisingly most AOR stations chose not to play it. | ||||
 | Zebra | Tell Me What You Want | Zebra | 1983 |
| I love this album. It rocks and has great melodies. It's an understatement that I was disappointed with their future releases. | ||||
| Zebra | Who's Behind The Door? | Zebra | 1983 |
| A great acoustic intro, a dream like chorus and a Geddy Lee type scream of the song's title… this song has it all (including a political statement.) | ||||