David Wisdom 1996 & Lee Rosevere 2001, CBC Radio 2

***A note to air check traders. Please do not record these air checks and try and trade. I have the original tapes many of which I recorded myself and thus the authenticity can not be in doubt and can be easily traced.

One of the charms of listening to old radio air checks is the period piece commercials . These two air checks do not have those but are interesting none the less. The first clip features the great David Wisdom on the show Nightlines on CBC  Stereo. He had a unique sense of humor and a broad knowledge of music. Just about anything could be heard on his show.  He featured a lot of indie artists on the most obscure labels but also great pop and rock music from all eras. He  came up with some great contests and this is one where he plays small bits from 100 of his favorite songs. Some are relatively easy and others may be a bit more challenging. Have a go and guess the songs and artists. Contest starts at 5:34.

The second clip features Lee Rosevere on CBC Radio Two on a night when he’s playing covers and you will hear a couple of obscure Beach Boys covers and then another contest. He plays bits from various artists doing Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now. The 2001 air date of this clips makes it the most recent featured on this site. Contest starts at 13:34.

Both these air checks are from a time when creative rock radio programming was disappearing from the commercial air waves but CBC Radio Two continued to carry the torch of the free form era.

I have a follow up tape from the first clip where David Wisdom announces all of the songs and artists played and will upload that at some point in the future.  You can search the site for some tape from Nightlines from the early 1980’s when it was hosted by Ron Robinson.

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