*For the last six months, Radio-Info’s Ross On Radio column has forthrightly faced down the challenges of our industry – seeking to engage readers in constructive dialogue. And what was it that was really on people’s minds? We should have had some clue after the e-mails that came in about our casual mention of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” But so far, nothing has generated the torrent of response that we got after last week’s item on “Nothing But A Heartache” by the Flirtations—a 40-year-old Lost 45 that almost never features in regular format Greatest Hits stations and frequently shows up in Oldies specialty programming. *

Here’s our original item, followed by your response:

The most fascinating radio of the last week – at least for certain of us – was more than thirty years old. It was a Thanksgiving Weekend stream of airchecks on Reelradio.com (http://www.reelradio.com) of Bobby Rich’s 1976 “Turkey Hours” at KFMB-AM San Diego. Rich’s hour-long appearances on the full-service AM sister of KFMB-FM (B100), the Top 40 station that made him famous, specialized in songs that weren’t necessarily campy but were long-gone from station libraries. They were “Lost 45s,” before Barry Scott’s show specializing in that type of Oldie.

Rich’s shows were often co-hosted by local record collectors, bringing in their own “Oh Wow” oldies. And on the show I heard, the thing that excited Rich the most was that his co-host had brought in “Nothing but a Heartache” by the Flirtations – a No. 34 record that had was only from 1969, but couldn’t have been more gone from the radio seven years later. There was some symmetry here. I first discovered “Nothing but a Heartache” within a few months time on WGN Chicago, another full-service AM breaking format with a similar program.

I’ve never come across “Heartache” on an actual 1969 aircheck. I can’t even imagine hearing it on today’s Greatest Hits FMs in regular format. But Rich Appel has played it in his anything goes shifts on WGHT (North Jersey 1500). It’s been in Clarke Ingram’s countdowns on WKHB Pittsburgh. And earlier this year, it was No. 2 on the countdown of “should’ve been hits” on Bob Radil’s WNHU New Haven show. And Scott says the song (which was a No. 3 hit in Boston) was indeed a fixture on the “Lost 45s” Top 100 countdown for many years, and still gets requests.

In other words, for Oldies fans of a certain era, “Nothing But A Heartache” is “Brown Eyed Girl” or “California Dreaming” or “Mony Mony.” And it deserves to be: it has an intro so ominous it makes Rihanna’s “Russian Roulette” sound like “I’ve Never Been To Me,” along with one of the great, high-powered female R&B vocals of all time, and the biggest finish ever (at least until “Russian Roulette”). It has a Spector-like massiveness to it—something that undoubtedly made it sound retro already in 1969. It’s also by an American R&B group through the decidedly different filter of British writer/producers, not unlike today’s sound of Scandinavian soul.

About a quarter of this column’s readers are already nodding in agreement. The rest will have to listen here.

And for those who’d rather hear the song in a more contemporary context:

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The WGN Chicago host, by the way, was probably legendary host and eventual morning man Bob Collins, according to a subsequent e-mail from former PD Tom Langmeyer.

Meanwhile, readers wrote:

“Love that one! Art Bell used to use it as bumper music all of the time, and that was the only place I've heard it since the late ‘60s.” – Mark Kassof, Kassof & Co., Ann Arbor, Mich.

“Sometimes [Art Bell] would let the entire song play because he liked it so much. It sure is a great song.” – Jason Steiner (Detroit radio writer John Smyntek also noted the Art Bell connection.)

“Regarding ‘Nothing But A Heartache,’ where do I begin? I have loved the song ever since the day I first heard it 40 years ago. It is simply the greatest ‘oh wow’ song of all time. It has everything: a killer intro, superb production & fantastic singing. So, why did it stall at #34? Probably in part lousy promotion. If you look at its rise week-to-week, it would get a bullet one week, stall the next, bullet the next week, stall again. But it spent 14 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100, no mean feat in an age of short chart runs. In its 14th week, there was only one single with more time on the survey and that was from two chart runs combined (“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”). And yes, Sean, you mentioned the “retro”-even-for-1969 sound of the song. It would have probably been a bigger hit if it had come out in 1964 or ‘65. One thing about Europe, they don’t abandon musical styles like Americans do. By the way, I play it on my tiny oldies station, Great Gold 1410. I can’t imagine anyone turning it off even if they don’t know it.” – Don Tandler, WHTG Monmouth/Ocean County, N.J.

“Great article! That’s what my website is founded on: mostly lost 45s and none of the songs Oldies/Classic Hits radio has burned out. And of course you’re right about ‘Heartache.’ It is an all-time, if not the all-time turntable hit.” – Rich “Brother” Robbin, RichBroRadio.com

“In my fill-in work at WFPK Louisville, Ky. I sometimes host a show called ‘Relics.’ I played ‘Nothing But A Heartache’ a while back and it sounded fantastic! I couldn’t believe that A) the station had the CD in the library—it’s a AAA station, and B) that it was 2009 and I was actually playing it on-air. With the neo soul Amy Winehouse stuff out there, the Flirtations really sounded cool.” – Ron Eric Taylor, Radio-Info.com

“Wow! What a superb find! … Even though they are originally from South Carolina, it [does] just sound British … Comparable to a modern day Adele, Amy Winehouse, Laura Izibor, Joss Stone or even Corinne Bailey Rae. Thanks again. I just bought their entire ‘Super Soul Best’ album off iTunes Music Store!” – Chris Rollins, Chris Rollins Voiceovers

“Okay, we’ll call you ‘The King of Geek’ … but only because ‘King Of Pop’ and ‘King Of All Media’ are already taken. Ah, 1969. I remember it well. I was 14 and living in Brooklyn. The Jets won the Super Bowl. The Mets won the World Series. There was that moon-landing thing. And some big concert in Upstate New York. It was also the one and only year I actually followed the Top 40 on WABC [New York]. As I recall, the station had ‘Aquarius’ at No. 1, followed by ‘Sugar Sugar’ and ‘Honky Tonk Woman.’ So when I saw your column concerned a hit from 1969 I figured I had to know it. Alas, neither the artist nor title rang a bell. So I listened … and quickly realized I'd never heard the tune. A subsequent net search for WABC’s ‘Top 100 Of 1969’ shows why. ‘Nothing But A Heartache’ didn’t make the list. Interesting how a song can be No. 34 on Billboard but not crack the Top 100 of the biggest Top 40 of the time.” – Harvey Kojan, PD, WZBA (100.7 The Bay) Baltimore

“Having been a record pig since I was 10, I can tell you with authority that ‘Nothing But A Heartache’ was played in New York on WOR-FM during its life as a Top 40 station. I bought it on Deram Records, same label as the Moody Blues, and still love it to death That intro is what makes the song so beloved by jocks from that era. It sounded like an atom bomb went off with Phil Spector behind the controls … It did sound a tad retro then, but it blew me away. Most jocks from that time or a bit later will always call that record one of those that got away. Some stations in various markets did make it a real chart hit, but alas, it never charted high enough for the huge AM stations to play it, such as WABC.” – Jay Sorensen, WCBS-FM New York

“Well, thanks. Now that song is stuck in my head. Great tune. Immediately sounded familiar to me, and with good reason, apparently it was a pretty big hit in my hometown at the time, Louisville. I found the chart from WAKY for the week ending Feb. 6, 1969 and it was No. 9.” – Tom Kennedy, ex-Citadel Media jock “with lots of time on my hands these days”

“If you’ve ever heard the David Letterman aircheck from his Ball State days that’s posted on ReelRadio.com, you’ll hear him backsell that very song! Too bad the station, WAGO, was only carrier current. I’m almost positive that Scott Shannon has played it a few times on his True Oldies format, and so have I on a program I used to do that featured “Forgotten 45s” worked in around the regular format.” – Mark “Abbott” Erdman, WDUX-AM-FM Waupaca, Wis.

“I hadn’t thought of (let alone heard) this in 35-plus years, but when I discovered Top 40 as a kid on WCOS Columbia, S.C., this song would pop up there. I had no idea there was a local connection. WCOS was also the first station my voice was ever heard on, as an 11-year-old calling in an instant request. Fortunately, no tape survives. Incidentally, according to Wikipedia, the Flirtations have reformed and (are at least minimally) recording again.” – Geov Parrish, Seattle

“Thank you for bringing back the memories with this title. In 1969, I was at WEIM Fitchburg, Mass., playing the song. I loved it then, and it’s still a gem. I remember how it just disappeared from the rotation back then – never really making it past secondary rotations. Those were my beginning days of my career at a station that allowed us to do just what we wanted, within a loose framework. I’ll always remember the hour I did live about the ‘Paul is Dead’ rumor, playing all the audio clues. After the show, I went across the street to grab a bite at a diner and I heard people talking about what I had done on the air and one guy said, ‘I wish they would do that again!’ – Jim Conlee, middays, WLTJ (Q92.9) Pittsburgh

“I agree totally, this is one 45 that should have done better than No. 34. Same with the Magic Lanterns’ ‘Shame Shame.’ Had it came out in 1966 when the Brits were scoring with those boomy, echoey and big bombastic productions from Dusty, Petula, and the Walker Bros, I think it would have been a huge hit.” – Billy G., “’60s Jangle Radio” on Live365.com

“Somehow I can’t picture that Flirtations single as never turning up in an aircheck. It was a bonafide hit (peaked at No. 13, appropriately enough) on WKNR (Keener 13) [Detroit] in 1969.” – Michael McDowell, Blitz Magazine

“My pal Southside Johnny did an extremely credible cover of ‘Nothing But A Heartache’ with the Asbury Jukes a couple of albums back. Great song!” – Tom Cunningham

“Thanks so much for bringing this up! That song is one of my very favorite hits that should have been. Honestly, I think that the first time I heard it was during the early ‘80s on WXKS-FM (Kiss 108) Boston’s ‘ ’60’s Hall of Fame’ specialty show which was hosted first by Ernie ‘Woo Woo’ Ginsburg and later by the late Vinnie Peruzzi. Every Sunday night, Kiss 108 would break format for a few hours and spin a lot of wonderful 60’s rarities. Given that Kiss 108 was rhythmic-leaning at the time, much of this music was from the R&B/soul side and it was fantastic! Vinnie used to spin ‘Nothing But a Heartache’ pretty regularly on the show and it was a favorite of mine at the time. One guy who still isn’t afraid to give this one a spin is Dick Biondi at WLS-FM. He gives it a play once in a great while and if I am lucky enough to catch it, I crank it up. Another great hit that should have been was Brenda Holloway’s ‘Just Look What You’ve Done,’ I sure wish I could hear that one in place of ‘Brown Eyed Girl.’ WOGL Philadelphia still plays it once in a while on their Saturday night specialty show.” — Bob Chimeleski

“Insanely great record, thanks for the recommendation, Sean.” – Frank Bell, VP of programming, Keymarket of Pennsylvania/Ohio, Pittsburgh

“Cool song! And one I’d never heard before—thanks for the heads up.” – Jeff Winfield, Director of Programming, NRG Media, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

“The song was also a hit in Philly. Both WFIL and WIBG banged away on it. After that, you'd hear it every now and again on WCAU-FM (now WOGL) during its first go-round with an oldies format under Jim Nettleton. Hy Lit would also bring it out every now and again in his early WOGL days, before they tightened things up on him. These days, Jerry Blavat and Bob Pantano will play it every so often on their respective broadcast dance parties. A couple of years ago, I heard it on a Sunday R&B oldies show on either WBLS or WRKS New York, followed about 30 minutes later by Brenda & the Tabulations’ [similarly lost R&B classic] ‘Right On The Tip Of My Tongue.’ I almost blew out my amp and speakers on both of them.” – Joe Patti, production, WRTI Philadelphia

“Just a quick hi, to let you know you that starting over a year ago, when I first reappeared on WCBS-FM as an alleged ‘Radio Great,’ ‘Nothing But A Heartache’ started rearing its utterly awesome head on 101.1, on rare occasions—the ones when I occasionally appeared! For RG, I was given the leeway to come on and play nothing but ‘Jammin’ Oldies,’ like I had back on [WTJM] about 10 years ago. So, armed with that cheap excuse… voila! The Flirtations, everybody! Thanks for recognizing the coolest bit of Northern Soul/WOR-FM music ever; (now, ask me if I ever snuck on ‘Soul Time’ by Shirley Ellis).” – Famous Amos, New York

“I'm sure I've heard ‘Nothing But A Heartache’ not-too-long ago, can’t place where though. Never knew the act, imprint or year before. And you’re right about the ‘retro’ sound: it feels more like 1965 than 1969, and it’s hard to imagine any other four-year span where music changed so quickly … Hearing the Flirtations brings to mind a few other chestnuts. Remember the Honey Cone (‘Want Ads,’ ‘Stick Up,’ ‘One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show’)? Brenda & the Tabulations (‘Right on the Tip of My Tongue’)? Thanks for the memories and the parallels you draw between current and old Top 40.” – Charlie Mitchell, WDSY (Y108) Pittsbuirgh

“’Nothing But A Heartache’ may be one of those songs that got enough airplay in Philly that one impressionable kid like me thought it was huge everywhere. Next, you’re going to try and tell me that ‘Boogaloo Down Broadway’ by The Fantastic Johnny C was not No. 1 for 18 weeks. I'm not buying it.” – Smokey Rivers, Clear Channel, Phoenix

“That’s a great record. I find it’s on my iPod high rotation currents every few months. And that leads me to play [another] minor airplay hit with a similar genetic root: ‘Right On the Tip of My Tongue’ by Brenda and the Tabulations. This in a market, Melbourne Australia, where no R&B record made any top 10 impression except for its utter rarity, and the raunchiest Motown hit was the Four Tops’ cover of “If I Were a Carpenter.” – Mark Newstead, MediaMark Australia

“I actually toured with the Flirtations. We played the TV show ‘Where The Action Is.’ Shit, I’m old.” – Carl Strube, WNBP Newburyport, Mass.

“It did sound retro even in 1969, but more genuinely so than something like Maxine Nightingale’s big one (also a great record).” — **Gene Sculatti, host of Luxuria’s “Atomic Cocktail.”**

“CKLW [Detroit] wailed on ‘Nothing But A Heartache.’ I have heard it on a ‘Big 8’ aircheck, and not long ago. It was a terrific top of the hour record.” – Randy Michaels, newly named CEO, Tribune Co.

“You finally wrote something that means something to me. My first time hearing ‘Nothing But A Heartache’ was on [suburban NYC’s] WWDJ, who had it in regular rotation in 1969 for a good period of weeks. It was also on the jukebox in [West Orange, N.J.’s] Star Tavern. It was in regular rotation on my show.” – Richard “Ricky the K” Kaufman, host of the ‘Solid Gold Time Machine.’

“Nice to see you acknowledge the genius of that song. It has some history in our market with KSTP-AM pounding it during their 1973-74 heyday as ‘The Music Station.’ We still get positive calls and e-mails when we spin it.” – Dave Hamilton, Citadel/Minneapolis, whose WGVX (Love 105) may be the only large-market Greatest Hits station giving the song any regular airplay.

“Guess I'm an old guy. I can do without the disco thump version.” – Mike Miranda, referring to the Freemasons’ remake.

“Nice write up on what remains to this day one of my favorite songs. I grew up in Michigan and the song was massive at CKLW Detroit, and locally on WTAC Flint.” – Ed Brown, AllAccess.com

“I am playing their Christmas record soon!” – Barry Scott, “Lost 45s” host