For a show about a rock radio station, the music in the classic sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati was an integral part of its charm. There were running jokes involving songs like “Fly Me To The Moon”, and a soundtrack featuring everyone from AC/DC to Blondie to Neil Young. However, when the show’s music licensing deal expired, producers decided to avoid expensive royalties by using generic “sound-alikes” recorded by studio musicians. Even when its first season was initially reissued on DVD, the episodes were still bogged down by replacement music.
As God as my witness, I thought turkeys would fly before the show’s original soundtrack would get restored for a DVD release. Fortunately, WKRP In Cincinnati, which ran for four seasons from 1978 to 1982, will soon be re-released with most of its iconic, classic rock-heavy soundtrack.WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete Series is set to hit stores on October 28th via Shout! Factory.
Though Shout! Factory managed to get the rights of most of the show’s extensive soundtrack, they didn’t get everything they wanted. In a press release, the label admitted, “in a few cases, it was simply impossible.” A notable absence is Pink Floyd’s “Dogs”, which was heavily featured in the show’s most popular episode “Turkeys Away”. Other choice songs missing include The Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ USA”, The Beatles’ “Come Together”, Devo’s “Whip It!”, The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”, and U2’s “I Will Follow”.
Even with those missing tracks, the soundtrack list is exponentially more comprehensive than any previous effort, featuring The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Captain Beefheart, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Nick Lowe, Bob Marley, Tom Petty, The Who, Stevie Wonder, and many more.
Pre-orders for the release are currently available at the Shout! website for $119.99. The set includes the show’s 90-episode run on DVD, along with bonus footage from this year’s cast reunion at the Paley Center in Los Angeles.
Below, revisit what might be the funniest moment in sitcom history.
WKRP In Cincinnati: The Complete Series Soundtrack Artists:
AC/DC
Herb Alpert
Ashford & Simpson
Joan Baez
Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
Pat Benatar
George Benson
Blondie
Booker T And The MG’s
Boston
Alicia Bridges
Jackson Browne
Donald Byrd
Carl Carlton
The Cars
Gene Chandler
Ray Charles
Chic
Chicago
Eric Clapton
The Coasters
Joe Cocker
Elvis Costello
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Crosby, Stills Nash & Young
Christopher Cross
Derek And The Dominos
Detective
Bo Diddley
The Doors
Dr. John
Gene Dunlap
The Durocs
Bob Dylan
Earth, Wind & Fire
Flying
Foreigner
Marvin Gaye
The Go-Gos
Grateful Dead
Bill Haley And His Comets
Buddy Holly
Bob James
Jefferson Starship
Waylon Jennings
Elton John
Janis Joplin
Greg Kihn Band
Albert King
B.B. King
Evelyn “Champagne” King
Freddie King
The Knack
Kool And the Gang
Jerry Lee Lewis
Huey Lewis & The News
Little River Band
Living Voices
Kenny Loggins
Nick Lowe
Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers
Chuck Mangione
Bob Marley
Paul McCartney and Wings
Delbert McClinton
Eddie Money
The Monotones
Van Morrison
Gary Myrick And the Figures
Ron Nagle
Randy Newman
Olivia Newton-John
Ted Nugent
The O’Jays
Carl Perkins
Tom Petty
Wilson Pickett
The Police
Jean-Luc Ponty
Elvis Presley
The Pretenders
Quarterflash
Queen
Otis Redding
Little Richard
Lionel Richie
Kenny Rogers
The Rolling Stones
Linda Ronstadt
Sam & Dave
Bob Seger
The Sherbs
The Sir Douglas Quintet
Bruce Springsteen
Edwin Starr
Steely Steely Dan
The Stone City Band
Styx
Supertramp
James Taylor
Carla Thomas
Toto
Pete Townshend
Tubes
Luther Vandross
Junior Walker
Grover Washington, Jr.
The Who
Stevie Wonder
Lauren Wood
Neil Young
