K-Tel’s Music Express! 20 Original Hits! 20 Original Stars!
Today we’ll be saving the 70s version of mixtapes with a tribute to the most beloved KTEL record of all time: No, it’s not Full Tilt. It’s not Hot Nights and City Lights . It’s not even 24 Great Truck Drivin’ Songs. It’s Music Express. KTEL records were compilation albums full of the hit songs of that very moment – and how did we know about them? Because they were advertised incessantly on TV. And they helped create a lexicon of words and phrases that may be best known by Gen Xers: “20 original hits! 20 original stars!” “As seen on TV!” And, most importantly, “But Wait! There’s more!” Packed with twenty current hits from the radio, each KTEL album was like a precursor to the homemade mixtapes that became staples of 80s culture. SO WHAT WAS THE MOST POPULAR KTEL ALBUM? If we only knew! But if we can judge by the internet, and how often people talk about it, that would be MUSIC EXPRESS, the 1975 album featuring The Captain and Tennille, Elton John, Barry Manilow, Disco Tex and the Sex-o-lettes – “and many more!!!!” Join us as we walk through this album song by song, sharing the vibes and fun facts like only your pop culture preservationists can.