Comments on: WBLI Only Gold Labor Day Triple Play | 1982

By: Don Nelson

Don Nelson — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:37:45 +0000

Nice surprise to see and hear this on the site! It does take me back quite a few years. We did play songs back as far as 55. I did the show for more than 8 years and it did evolve over time, for awhile it was the Only gold 60’s and as Denis points out we did move more into the 70’s as time progressed. this was a pre jingle time on BLI, shortly after we had a new jingle package and Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge surprised me with a theme song.
Would love to hear from Denis. He can reach me at dn7511@gmail.com

By: Denis B.Johnston

Denis B.Johnston — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:00:09 +0000

Only Gold concentrated on 1964-74 or so,but he did dip back further.Remember,this was a special edition,so it doesn’t really represent the program.-In ‘82,they were still reguarlly going back to 50s.As the 80s progressed,they started adding stuff from ‘75-’76–just a little bit,but I always felt ANY of that was too much for an ‘oldies’ show-except maybe for a ‘lost hit’.

By: Paul Duca

Paul Duca — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 12:58:06 +0000

It’s interesting to hear this…despite Nelson’s claim of playing things as far back as 1955, this 1982 show sounds more like modern oldies radio–playing almost nothing pre-1964. I’ve heard only two songs from before that, (and since one of them is from the Beach Boys, who are still among the exceptions for playing “older” oldies, I don’t think it really counts). And only one of the triple play artists is likely to have those (Jan & Dean). Yes, there are the Four Seasons and the Miracles, but since the first and third Seasons songs were 1964 and later, I doubt the likelihood that the second was “Sherry” or “Big Girls Don’t Cry”

By: Denis B. Johnston

Denis B. Johnston — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:12:32 +0000

Yes!!—PLEASE MORE!!!–Been searching for ‘BLI airchecks for as long as I’ve been collecting.There’s NOTHING out there.PLUS-I knew Don,so that makes this even cooler.Anybody know his whereabouts.I know his ‘real’ job was in Cable,he left Long Island & ‘BLI,for a big cable job in Grand Rapids,Michigan in ‘87.A couple years later,I saw him in a blurb for C-Span,while flipping through the channels.

By: Keith Allen

Keith Allen — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:40:05 +0000

Great stuff Matt..was on WBLI that very day..Don Nelson was a gem..great guy and a great jock..would fill in for Only Gold when Don took off..remember the sound of that skimmer,when I had those aircheck sessions with PD Bill Terry..most of them I’d like to forget..but Bill was a great teacher..
Keith Allen
B103 Long Island