Transmusic Airwaves Presents: (From The Archives) Fresh Air - Artist Of The Week feature from August 22, 1977; Domestic Album Premiere from March 31, 1980, and several sets recorded on July 2, 1981 - August 26, 2022 - Paul Ciminero (host) Podcast

Transmusic Airwaves

This week on TRANSMUSIC AIRWAVES I’ve decided to celebrate over 45 years of radio with three separate archive gems from my days at WKSU-FM and it’s legendary late night progressive radio program Fresh Air which I was a weekly host on from 1976-1981.

The first is a one hour segment captured on August 22, 1977 of an early version of the program’s ‘Artist Of The Week’ feature focusing on the band GENTLE GIANT. This is the oldest recording of any of my shows at WKSU.

The remaining two and a half hours contain two more shows, the second hour is from March 31, 1980 of what was the “Domestic Album Premiere’ of the band D’OA as well as the programming prior to the feature.

The final hour and a half segment contains a program segment from one of my final recorded broadcasts on ‘Fresh Air,’ before my graduation from KSU and subsequent move to Chicago that fall. That program aired on July 2, 1981 and ends at 4:30 am prior to the start of NPR’s ‘Morning Edition.’

I joined the WKSU-FM staff in the fall of 1976 as a studio engineer, program host, and publication assistant for their program guide. As with many college radio stations, there was a continuous turnover of the student personnel which the station used to oversee the network programming of both recorded and live feeds (we were the NPR affiliate), certain prerecorded classical, jazz, folk, blues, and public service programs hosted by local volunteers and a small full-time staff.

By early 1977, infused with a slew of new hosts for ‘Fresh Air,’ the staff brainstormed about ways of getting the show out to a wider audience. What made the show unique was it’s ‘underground/freeform’ roots, an eclectic mix artists and genres, plenty of imported albums, sprinkled in with comedy pieces and spoken word all serving as an alternative to what had become commercial AOR radio.

It was all about educating the audience about who we were playing and to do this we began the ‘Artist Of The Week’ special which eventually would air five nights a week. An ‘Import Album Premiere,’ Industrial Wasteland’ Interview program, ‘Domestic Album Premiere’ and ‘Reel Live Music’ shows all would follow and help build listener-ship over the next four years.

Today’s program covers three different shows within the Fresh Air program.
SET #1 Part 1: GENTLE GIANT ‘Artist of The Week’ – August 22, 1977
GENTLE GIANT A Cry For Everyone Octopus 4:00
GENTLE GIANT In A Glass House In A Glass House 7:22
SET #2
GENTLE GIANT The Face The Power And The Glory 10:32
GENTLE GIANT Free Hand Free Hand 6:11
SET#3
GENTLE GIANT Empty City Interview 4:13
SET #4
GENTLE GIANT Funny Ways The Official Live – Playing The Fool 8:28
BE BOP DELUXE Shine Live! In The Air Age 9:18
SET #5 Part 2: Featuring D’OA ‘”Domestic Album Premiere – March 31, 1980
STEVE HILLAGE The Glorious Om Riff Green 7:43
HORSLIPS King Of Morning, Queen Of Day The Book Of Invasions, A Celtic Symphony 4:30
JEAN LUC PONTY Renaissance Aurora 5:41
MAN Something Is Happening The Welsh Connection 5:43
THE WHO 1921 (You Didn’t Hear It) Tommy 2:45
SET#6
BILL BRUFORD Gothic 17 Gradually Going Tornado 4:56
JOHN FOXX Blurred Girl Metamatic 3:46
PETER HAMMILL The Cut The Future Now 3:34
SET#7 D’OA – Ornament Of Hope – Domestic Album Premiere – Side 1
D’OA Zenith Ornament Of Hope 8:02
D’OA Crystal Streams Ornament Of Hope 3:29
D’OA Song Of The Dove Ornament Of Hope 3:51
D’OA Oneness Ornament Of Hope 2:57
D’OA Village Earth Ornament Of Hope 4:03
SET#8 D’OA – Ornament Of Hope – Domestic Album Premiere – Side 2
D’OA Ornament Of Hope Ornament Of Hope 5:46
D’OA Dance Of The Children Ornament Of Hope 3:01
D’OA The Valley Of Search Ornament Of Hope 11:36
SET #9 Part 3: – July 2, 1981 4:30 – 6:00 AM
EBERHARD WEBER Bali Little Movements 12:01
GROBSCHMITT Anywhere Rockpommel’s Land 4:03
THE CHIEFTAINS The Session The Chieftains 8 4:28
HICKORY WIND Morrison’s Jig Crossing Devil’s Bridge 3:39
SET #10
PASSPORT Abracadabra Doldinger Jubilee ‘75 7:20
KEVIN AYERS The Lady Rachel Joy Of A Toy 5:15
URBAN VERBS For Your Eyes Only Early Damage 4:31
JOE WALSH County Fair So What 6:31
SET#11
KEN THORNE Preface (Main Theme) Superman II (OST) 0:49
RON DANTE & THE WEBSPINNERS Peter’s Nightmare Spider Man From Beyond,The Grave – A Rockomic 3:05
LAURIE ANDERSON O Superman (For Massenet) O Superman (EP – Single) 8:21
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR Scorched Earth Godbluff 9:36
JIMI HENDRIX Astro Man The Cry Of Love 3:18
APHRODITE’S CHILD Break (WKSU-FM Sign Off) 666 3:04
OST = Original Soundtrack