Triad was a progressive, free-form, inovative radio program that aired in Chicago on WXFM-FM between 1969 and 1977. There was a lot of interesting music that went out over the air-waves of Triad on WXFM-FM 105.9 in the early 70's.
Electronic music was in its youth and Triad exposed the radio audiences to the experimenting pioneers:Stockhausen, John Cage, Pierre Henry, Morton Subotnick, Edgar Varese and emerging young groups like Kraan, Tangerine Dream, Popol Vuh, Amon Duul and including contemporary rockers like Frank Zappa, Capt. Beefheart, Hendrix, and the Grateful Dead and not forgetting the Frisco and Psych sounds of the Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe & the Fish, Canned Heat, 13th Floor Elevators, Chocolate Watch Band
.....We even gave avant-jazz a spin from Art Ensemble of Chicago , Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, Patty Waters, Gunter Hampel, Anthony Braxton, Burton Greene Ensemble.....The progressive of the day was stuff like E,L &P, Yes, Gentle Giant, P.F.M.,King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Hawkwind , Grobschnitt, Genesis and a lot of Euro-rock got its US debut on the Triad airwaves including Kraftwerk, Aphrodite's Child, Focus, Scorpions, Guru Guru , Can, Niemen, Lucifer's Friend, Neu!, Faust and numerous others, some of whom got their only radio exposure on Triad. And always supportive of the local Chicago Music Scene, Triad was the first to air music by then unknown locals like Styx, Heartsfield,and Shadowfax.
And the segues and mixing was something that had to be heard to be believed. It was often very hard to tell when one song ended and another began. The spoken word bits were cool too, like the ones fromFiresign Theatre, Monty Python's Flying Circus and Marshall McLuhan as well as the dramatic series The Fourth Tower of Inverness . Those were really adventurous days for the radio listener, they never knew what to expect next...
I hope to make this an interesting and entertaining stop on your web cruises. It will contain relics and artifacts from radio days gone by. Check out what radio used to be like at one time in Chicago. Triad offered a variety and blend of sounds that has never been heard since. Perhaps I've given you an idea of what the radio sounded like in those days. I've put together an online archive from which you can download or stream old airchecks and interviews that I've done. Click here for the online archive and check back from time to time as I'll be adding to it.e-mail saxmania@ripco.com Saul
[Eurock Essentials] [Triad Interviews] [On Demand Airchecks] [Triad Magazine Covers] [Brain Promo Pix] [Some Nightly Playlists] [Classic Rock Music Quiz] [Choice 33 Lists] [Photo Gallery] [Triad in Review] [Sign the Triad Guestbook] [View the Triad Guestbook]
