What do you listen to while you Packard?

[mrpushbutton]

This thread came up on another chat room I'm on (grousing about Detroit--no end in sight there) But here's a question--what do you fellow Packard folk like to listen to? what would be your top 5 "deserted island" albums?

[Guest Randy Berger]

I'm an oldies nut (no fair pointing out I look like one). There are several oldies stations in the Pgh area and I made a lot of my own tapes. I enjoy rhythm and blues from the 50's - Moonglows, Flamingos, Ravens, Cadillacs, etc. I guess you always stay with the music that turned you on (and the girls you were with) when you were growing up. I am a record collector also.

[WCraigH]

KNYE 95.1 FM Radio, Pahrump, NV. This station is owned by Art Bell of late-night talk show fame. During the day, it features oldies music with minimum commercials and during the wee hours the "Coast to Coast" talk show with regular host George Noory. Occasionally, Art hosts a show.

Within the last 2 weeks, Art's wife of 15 years, Ramona, died unexpectedly in her sleep during a vacation in Laughlin. She handled all the business aspects of the station and occasionally was the spokeswoman for some local businesses on radio spots. During a live commentary I heard today, Art said that he is unsure what the future of KNYE will be, but he hopes it will continue.

A couple of KNYE's slogans: "Putting more in the air than Area 51", and "KNYE: things that go Pahrump in the night."

[Clipper47]

I like the real "Oldies", Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Wagner etc. Favourite station is Canadian Broadcasting Corporation FM 2. I especially like "Saturday at the Opera" also available on Minnesota Public Radio. Cecelia Bartoli and Renee Fleming are among my favourite singers.

[Tom M]

I have no radio in my car. So when the car is running (down right now) I listen to that sweet straight 8 purring.

[mrpushbutton]

well, you could load an ipod with Jean Goldkette, Anson Weeks, Paul Whitman, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor and enjoy that!

[Tom M]

Don't have one of them IPOD thingies. If I did it be loaded with Zeppelin, Rush, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Queen, Pink Floyd, etc.

[Guest imported_Speedster]

When driving my Packards, I listen to Knocks, Bangs, Clicks and Thumps.

Oh, No, Sorry, That's My Ford and Cadillac I'm Thinking About. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[tbirdman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have no radio in my car. So when the car is running (down right now) I listen to that sweet straight 8 purring. </div></div>

Another vote for listening to the straight 8 because of no radio.

[6219_Rules]

I know my Cadillac is no Packard ... so I hope you all do not mind my chiming in. I love to listen to KRDZ 1440 AM in Denver, CO! They have been around for 50 years and have been playing the same format then as now. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, the Beetles, Petula Clarke, Big Bands etc.. from the 40s through the 70s. I listen to that on my Wunderbarr radio in my 1956 Caddy and it sounds so cool.

I thought of having the radio rebuilt to accept RCA or FM modulator so I can use my iPod-thingie to listen to my other favorite, and perfered, music selection, classical. But I probably won't. Well ... we will see. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[Guest JT]

Everything from Nine Inch Nails, Alice in Chains, Blink 182 to Eddie Duchin and Jimmy Dorsey (any big band). Throw in some, car talk or This American life on a Saturday if I'm working in the garage.

As a rule I never listen to country other than some old classic songs from performers like Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline.

Mr pushbutton, one of my favorite Anson Weeks tunes is "was that the human thing to do".

I also agree with nothing but the straight eight at times <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[Guest imported_PackardV8]

There are TWO different worlds of "Packarding". 1.Driving/spectating. 2.Working on a Packard.

I insist on complete silence or as close as i can get to complete silence while working (on anything) except for maybe working on a good buzz. If something drops on the floor or down in the wheel well or fitting parts together and so-forth i need to listen for sounds that are expected or unexpeted. NO CARPET on my garage floor!!!!

While driving i listen to rap (MNM, JA Rule... ), hip-hop, classic rock and a few one hit wonders that noone probably remembers or ever noticed when they heard them. Some New Country once in while when something good comes out. The problem with country music is that it goes in streaks.

I need new speakers for the car. Has anyone found a CD player to fit the 55 or 56 dash with out cutting it???? Or is there someway to hook up an Ipod or something. I not familiar with the latest cut media. I'm still playing 8 track casset in my grocery getter and never really liked any kind of tape.

[Dave Mitchell]

The first time I drove a Packard was when I bought my first one, a 39 6 in the mid 1980s and drving it home I turned on the aftermarket am radio under the dash - it warmed up and played "Stardust" by Nat King Cole - first song! I figure the planets were aligned that day. It just doesn't get any better. Now I listen to Louis Armstrong (yes, even playing Cuban Pete, but in my version he's the king of the rumble seat), 30s and 40s big bands, and classical. I'll take Nat Cole over Sinatra any day. And sorry guys - I can't hear my 6s, 8s and 12s - just wind and fan noise - you need tune ups! LOL

[Guest imported_Packards1]

As Mr. Pushbutton knows from first hand experience, I listen to Karen Carpenter singing from the grave. I am probably the least hip in this group. But you gotta please yourself not be what others expect out of you. Why do you think most of us have antique cars and not run of the mill type cars either. Sinatra is always good

[Guest JT]

Dave, yes Nat King Cole probably did the most beautiful version of Stardust. I think Artie Shaw did the best big band one.

[Guest Randy Berger]

I sometimes get waylaid on my way out to the garage. I have to pass by the trains and of course they divert my attention. The wife came down one day and the jukebox was cranked up pretty good, my son was running several trains and I was underneath the 400 doing some necessary work. She just laughed at me and said I was nuts. You can't have too many hobbies. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

http://www.tinplatetimes.com/profiles/Randy/randy.htm

[Guest Albert]

My ex could not understand men and there toys, i guess she figured i would sit around the house on my butt all day, i could have be out in the bars at night chasing wolmen but i did'nt, but was out in the garage fixing out cars. I have a lot of the older records, i do like one i found is "More American Graffiti" (wolf man Jack) that I have copied to use out in the garage and a few other of the same era. When i was living in Toronto, person next door to me was in his 70's. One day i was out the front of the house working on the car with Sam Cook turned up a little loud, he comes out, and i asked him if he wanted me to turn it down, NO, he liked the oldies, would you like a beer and talk? Sure... By the way i traded in the first wife for a more understanding one..

[Guest Randy Berger]

Albert, it always pays to trade up <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I was lucky with mine. Her sister used to make fun of my trains, but quit joking when the wife started asking her every night where her husband was <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> I think most wives are tolerant of their husband's hobbies provided they get some attention also.

[Dr Morbius]

I listen to Kai Winding , he was a great friend of the family and esp. me - trouble is probably no one here ever heard of him ! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I also listen to Electric Light Orchestra , some of you might remember them ? <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> And anything by George Gershwin - He rocks !! [ classically , of course ] <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />.

......................Steve

[55PackardGuy]

Hey Brian, I have four out of the five albums you mentioned on vinyl, the only one I'm missing is that particular Led Zep. The Blues Brothers soundtrack from the original movie is great. "Ya wanna do a song Elwood?" "Yah." Followed by that crazy Rubber Biscuit tune! Truly a great moment in music. "Waddaya want fer nothin?"

My favorite Packard radio memory is from the days when a car radio was something that got AM and nothing else. Sitting in one of the '55s at some family gathering with my dad. Polka was about all you could get out in that country. The music didn't matter, but finding my dad sitting out amongst all the cars parked in the field, getting some solitary time away from all the partying, was something special.

If I get a car that came with an AM radio, that's what'll be playing when I drive it. Tubes and all. Any kind of music it can tune in will be fine--no AM talk radio for me!

[Guest Albert]

Bh you dont really have to build an AM transmitter for the 55-56 cars to pump music into the old amp. The 55-56 cars have the amp/powersupply seperate from the radio just tap into the radio output with a volme control and a capactor and you will be set.

[55PackardGuy]

You're right, Brian, the Blues Brothers album I referred to did come out before the movie. I had forgotten that. It's pretty cool they got all those great musicians behind them before there was a popular movie to instigate it. Didn't know they got their "chops" as an opening act for Stever Martin, but it makes sense. Adapting the original Packard "sound system" to play tapes or CDs is a worthy endeavor, and a pretty neat trick. People will wonder where you find all those great songs on AM radio!

Some of my favorite AM memories were from driving around in my '65 Electra during the wee hours "after the party" and it always seemed to start pulling in southern U.S. stations. Kind of spooky. I know about clear channel AM stations at night, and signals "skipping," but this was so regular and always from the south, it didn't make sense--except as a "phenomenon." (Cue Twilight Zone music)

[mrpushbutton]

I saw the Blues Brothers LIVE at the Pine Knob ampitheater outside Detroit in the summer of '78. It was a fluke thing, a guy I worked with took me out there in his slant 6 Dustpan and we bought tickets from a guy at the door. What a concert! the entire band from the records and movie was there, and believe it or not, Belushi actually did some cartwheels on stage. I remember distinctly the band playing the opening Blues Brothers vamp while Dan Akroyd intoned: <span style="font-style: italic">"It's so good to play in Detroit, the home of the Chevy Impala, the Plymouth Fury, the Cadillac Coupe De Ville, and last but not least--the Pontiac Bonneville!"</span> I remember that opening distinctly. Can't remember much about the last part of the evening for reasons we need not go into here.

[Guest BigKev]

I worked for an AM radio station back in High School and during the day the stations run at "High Power" to over come the all the EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) that occurs during the day. At night, they go to low power as the EMI is less as people settle down for the night. Even at low power the signal may be heard 100's of miles further then at High Power during the peak of the day. Almost everything electrical bleds EMI.

FM is better at piercing through the EMI but AM signals will travel further when compared WATT to WATT in transmitting power. It's just the AM signals get obsured easier by the all the EMI. If you get whats called a "Clear Channel" which mean nothing is transmitting on the same AM freq or close to it, the range could be thousands of miles depending on transmitting power. With AM, the signal waveform speads out and over distance bleds into the adjacent signals. FM is a tighter signal waveform with less bled into adjacent signal. But just doesnt travel as far.

Maybe I am not 100% technically correct here, but I think you get the idea.

[Guest Randy Berger]

You also get an effect known as "skip" during the 11-year sunspot cycles. When skip is running you might find yourself listening to a station very far away, or the far-away station might drown out the local broadcaster. I used to run CB radio and have talked to Calif, Ariz. Venezuela, and Germany (ham band everywhere except U.S., not sure about Canada?). A lot of AM sunset stations went off the air at sunset and allowed more powerful stations to really crank it up then. KDKA in Pgh is 50,000 watts of power at night - 1020 on the AM dial.

[Guest Albert]

B.H. the capactor is to block the DC from the amp from back feeding into the Ipod, about a .1mf 100v. Randy we also got great Skip here in Canada, we had a friend in a trailer park that use to try shooting skip all the time, I use to have a CB set on my 10 speed that i had tweeked to 8W out. One day i was over by the locks in town and figured i would try, i drove the bike into the lake beside the dock up to the axles, and laid the ant. along the dock (flatside) and tryed, low and behold i got this guy down in gorgia, and talke foe a few min before i lost him, really PO the guy in the park that i did it on the bike, he even tried a 1000w boot to shoot skip.

[Guest JT]

In the late 30's WLW broadcast with 500 KW's of power <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> They had to have a cooling pond outside for the transmitter. You could probably pick it up with the fillings of your teeth <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Guest Albert]

Back then they could run high power transmitter, as there was so few Radio stations then, even the old radios I have see in Canada has pre selects for WWVA NBC and the Grand Old Oprey.

[Guest Randy Berger]

Albert, I had a D&K Phantom 500 but rarely used it. I sit up pretty high and had a Moonraker IV that allowed me to drop on the flat side and really get out. I ran a Browning MkIII that I strapped up to 12 watts. I had a lot of fun on CB, but driving the Packard is better. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Plus you get to talk to fellow car nuts face to face at cruises and tours. The Oil City tour last year was the best time I've had in a long while.

[Twitch]

I listen to whatever crappy, scratchy AM station will come through. Since AM has gone to completely azzhole talk shows and very little but weird, esoteric music I'd rather turn it off. I have no desire to rig up 12v to 6v stereos and find places for speakers that don't require hacking up the interior. Most of my trips are quite short so it's not a real problem.

[Guest AlK]

I would listen to 50's thru 80's r+r instrumentals, then fiery gypsy music, that sings of love, romance, adventure, courage, and bravery. Plus a whole bunch of other roack and roll to numerous to mention, The Ventures, Mason Williams. p.s. renaissance music

[55PackardGuy]

Twitch,

My thoughts exactly. It's too bad AM went to so much yackety-yack. Once in a while there's a good AM college "alternative" station or some die-hard jazz, but most of the time it's conversations that aren't as good as the ones in your own head. Oops, maybe I said too much!

[Guest JT]

Very true on listening for many miles. As a kid I remember listing to radio shows like Dragnet or Gunsmoke while traveling at night on family vacations to the mountains or beach.