Tuesday 22 May 2018

A Sri Lankan Classic Rock Station

As I’m from Sri Lanka and into classic rock music, I would like to see a Sri Lankan classic rock radio
station. Sri Lanka does not currently have one, but as radio stations playing retro music are popular
in Sri Lanka, I think it is a type of radio station which could work well. In this article, I’ll list my ideas
of how this Sri Lankan classic rock radio station could function. Let’s begin.

The music played would be focused on rock music from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as later work
by artists who began their careers in those periods. Here are some rock songs, some of which are
already popular in Sri Lanka which can be featured on this station:

“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” by Jim Croce
“The Pretender” by Jackson Browne
“Hold The Line” by Toto
“What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers
“Lights” by Journey
“Lay Down Sally” by Eric Clapton
“Even Now” by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
“Healing Hands” by Elton John

This station would have the American influence that I like which is common among Sri Lankan radio
stations. There would be an American giving voice overs for some of the show ads and audio clips
about the station that are played between shows and during ad breaks.  

The presenters would offer their usual commentary on topics such as Sri Lankan & world affairs and
music. They would sometimes give information on what the artists featured on the station are
currently up to. They would offer interviews with important Sri Lankan personalities (including
musicians) as well as interviews with American and British rock musicians. The interviews with
western musicians would be with session musicians/sidemen (those who go on tour with or play on
recording sessions for the major acts) as well as some of the big name artists. As a Sri Lankan Bob
Seger fan, I would love to hear Bob Seger interviewed by a Sri Lankan radio station. This station
would also organise some concerts by classic rock acts in Sri Lanka.

This station would make a deal with a western company to get original recordings of songs and the
licensing rights to play it. There would be competitions to win original copies of iconic rock albums. It
could be a once a month competition. Here are some albums I really like which should be featured.
I’m listing studio albums, but greatest hits and live albums by big name acts should also be included.

“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John
“Stranger in Town” by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band (Note: My previous blog article was about
the album for its 40th Anniversary featuring contributions from those who worked on it)
“Toto IV” by Toto

So this is my idea of a Sri Lankan classic rock radio station. Hope you enjoyed it. If you’re someone
planning to create a new Sri Lankan radio station, I encourage you to create a Sri Lankan classic
rock radio station. It would bring diversity to the Sri Lankan radio line-up, and give a new spin on an
existing popular trend, that is the retro radio station. This type of radio station would be an
entertaining station giving a good form of English-speaking Sri Lankan culture.

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