Hypnotized on the radio
 

So I'm getting my hair cut at this trendy salon in Rochester, NY. And the receptionist has on this station that features underground classics. What comes on but Hypnotized. I pointed it out to my stylist who said "Oh, this song? I love it. Never knew who it was though!"

I remember it being a staple on FM radio up to the late '80s along with the longer stuff by Boston and The Guess Who, it's the only one from that period that seemed to be the case for though (other that Bob's slightly later revisit of Sentimental Lady).

I guess I should count myself a lucky guy. I get to hear it pretty regularly around the SF Bay Area. We have a classic rock station that does a "triple shot" weekend and they play "Hypnotized" frequently. Usually with two LB/SN songs, but I can't complain. At least they play FM regularly too. Occassionally they will play the original blues version of "Black Magic Woman" but that's only occassionally, like maybe twice a year!!

Every once in a great while that station actually plays part one of "Oh Well" too. If I get really lucky and the DJ has to go the bathroom or something they'll play the whole thing!! But that's really rare!!

I recall commenting on this a while back but in a nutshell, Black Magic Woman (Green), Need Your Love So Bad (John), Albatross (Green), Man Of The World (Green), Oh Well (Green) and The Green Manalishi (Green) were genuine chart makers, all on the UK side of the pond between 1968-1970 (with a reprise showing for Albatross a few years later; the Brits apparently couldn't get enough of that one).

But there were others tunes by FM that attained a certain degree of hit status in the USA prior to the band's '75 breakout, even if they didn't officially chart. These were mostly regional or "FM staple" hits. This was thanks largely to a different kind of FM - Frequency Modulation, aka high fidelity radio - that found its golden age as the 60's gave way to the 70's. Back then many FM disc jockeys around the country opted to spin up progressive rock tracks - and even entire albums - as part of their "integrity programming," over basic (and more traditional) album cut singles. That period may not have lasted all that long, but for a time back then, it was the cat's meow.

Shake Your Moneymaker (James), Love That Burns (Adams, Green), Station Man (Kirwan, Spencer, J. McVie), Sometimes (Kirwan), Sentimental Lady (Welch), Did You Ever Love Me (C. McVie, Welch), Hypnotized (Welch) and Bermuda Triangle (Welch) are ones I can recall that found a reasonable amount of radio play - for at least a period back in the day - either regionally or as rotation staples on mostly FM (with a percentage crossing to the AM side of the dial to boot), beyond the chart hits listed above. A few have played on ever since - at least if classic rock stations can be used as any guide - albeit less and less frequently as time meanders on.

Now ya know. :p