Tonight on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

Our 1,350th episode kicks off with THE HALF/CUBES covering BASHFUL BOBBY DYLAN (from the new tribute album JEM RECORDS CELEBRATES BOB DYLAN), and concludes with a sneak preview of a forthcoming new single that's so secret it's listed on the playlist as [REDACTED] FEATURING [REDACTED] singing [REDACTED]. We don't mind. In between, we celebrate TIRnRR # 1350 with some old favorites, some recent favorites, and other, y'know, FAVORITES! by P. P. ARNOLD, DEVO, THE SPONGETONES, POP CO-OP, THE JAM, THE RAMONES, THE MUFFS, JUSTINE AND THE UNCLEAN, LAURIE BIAGINI, THE FLAMIN GROOVIES, WONDERBOY, BETH PEABODY, THE FOUR TOPS, THE SMITHEREENS, THE GO-BETWEENS, THE VERBS, CHUCK BERRY, THE COWSILLS, THE SOFT BOYS, THE GRIP WEEDS, ANNY CELSI, MANNIX, MATTHEW SWEET AND SUSANNA HOFFS, THE KNACK, UTOPIA, MAJOR LANCE, THE NUMBERS, HOLLY GOLIGHTLY, THEE HEADCOATEES, THE GUESS WHO, EYTAN MIRSKY, SUGAR PIE DeSANTO, THE BEATLES, THE KINKS, THE FLASHCUBES, and more. We'll also serve up a Happy Birthday spin to our pal BETH WOODELL, and offer two by THE CHELSEA CURVE as we join our friends across the rockin' pop world in mourning the late, great LINDA BEAN PARDEE. As another departed friend sang: All we wanna do is reminisce with you. It's TIRnRR # 1350. Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming via sparksyracuse.org, and as WESTCOTT RADIO on the Radio Garden app. The weekend stops HERE!

10 SONGS: 8/22/2026

10 Songs is a weekly list of ten songs that happen to be on my mind at the moment. The lists are usually dominated by songs played on the previous Sunday night's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. The idea was inspired by Don Valentine of the essential blog I Don't Hear A Single

This week's edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1349

SPECTRAFLAME: The Look In Your Eyes

Awright, we've been playing St. Petersburg, Florida's phenomenal pop combo Spectraflame a lot this year, a situation cued up by our pal Robbie Rist's involvement with (and recommendation of) the group, but maintained in dedicated earnest by the quality of Steve Burgess's original pop songcraft. We have three hours of airtime to occupy each week, and it's more efficient to occupy that airtime with good stuff. Spectraflame has proven to be a reliable resource for the good stuff, and "The Look In Your Eyes" is Spectraflame's best one yet. Resistance is futile. Occupation continues. I know that look.

VERDELLE SMITH: Life Goes On

Today's post is the first entry in my theoretically-weekly 10 Songs series since July 25th. The absence has been a byproduct of my decision to suspend Boppin's status as a daily blog, limiting posting to two or three times a week. I believe this period has been the first interruption in 10 Songs'' schedule since the feature's debut in early 2020.

Is it back now? I dunno. The world around us has felt increasingly discouraging, and I'm sometimes overwhelmed by the pointlessness of whatever the hell it is I do here. But...I dunno.

I do know that life goes on. George Harrison said it goes on within you and without you. In 1965, singer Verdelle Smith insisted it just goes on, our troubles notwithstanding. There will come another day. There will be another Spring. Life goes on.

Or so one hopes.

THE SPONGETONES: The Music At The Close

More new music from the Spongetones? Yes, please! A "We'll Meet Again" to meet the overarching yechh of modern times, "The Music At The Close" is the virtual 45 RPM equivalent of whistling through the graveyard, a joyride on the Titanic, stubbornly blessed with incongruous will to keep boppin' no matter how futile the boppin' may seem. 

The song was co-written by Spongetones bassist Steve Stoeckel and his Pop Co-Op cohort Joel Tinnel--two longtime friends of TIRnRR-- and if its stiff upper lip might be equally likely to contort into a sneer or a smile, one senses it's open to the promise of singing past the close--particularly if the "close" refers to what the damned walls feel like they're doing all around us.

(Furthermore, I betcha our Joel is thrilled to have co-written a single for the freaking Spongetones. Well done, Agent J! We're playing this one again on this Sunday night's celebration of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1350. And what the hell, we'll play a little Pop Co-Op as well. Let's put off closing time for at least a little bit longer.)

JUDAS PRIEST: Heading Out To The Highway

From a previous post:

I'm not really a metal guy. But there have been a few fist-shakin', head-bangin' truncheonfests that I have found to be agreeably bludgeoning, albeit all of them on the pop side. I love Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" without any hint of guilt or apology. I enjoy some Def Leppard, a little bit of Black Sabbath, and--maybe stretching the parameters--some Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, plus the light hair-metal of "We Stand Alone" by Killer Dwarfs. And Motörhead. And KISS! I mean, if you wanna count KISS as metal, I guess.

And Judas Priest?

There was something about the Priest that made me unable to take them seriously...which would be okay if they didn't seem so hell-bent-for-leather intent on being taken seriously. I very much liked the first Judas Priest track I ever heard, which was their gloriously unsubtle take on the Joan Baez folk chestnut "Diamonds And Rust." After that, though, I thought "Breaking The Law" was tiresome, and its video really made Judas Priest look dumb beyond redemption. CREEM magazine started to make fun of them, and I went right along with that spirit of derision and dismissal.

But..."Heading Out To The Highway." GodDAMN I loved that from its first bombastic chug and squeal, and in the present day it still inspires turn-it-UP volume and a defiantly paradoxical mix of sneering and grinning when it plays in my car. 

Especially if I happen to be heading out to the highway. LOUDER! LOUDER!!! 

CINDY LAWSON: The Reckoning

ANGER! Sheer, pissed-off rock 'n' roll anger! Cindy Lawson knows the story, and she is not afraid to spit that story right back in the face of those in dire need of a freakin' reckoning, stat. From her forthcoming new release ¡Long Live The Resistance!, "The Reckoning" channels the lesson the Clash taught us all those years ago: Let fury have the hour. Anger can be power! How can you refuse it?

Cindy Lawson is not inclined to refuse, nor to back down. It's the only reckoning that matters.

LITTLE EVA: Stand By Me

SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE: Stand!

THE PRETENDERS: I'll Stand By You

I tell ya, sometimes these segues just write themselves.

THE MONKEES: Words

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE BEATLES: Tomorrow Never Knows

It's now been a full sixty years since the Beatles' released the Revolver album. And it still feels like the daunting yet inviting sound of tomorrow. Turn off your mind. Relax. Float downstream. We got you.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

My new book of short stories Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is out now, and you can get autographed copies of the new book and my previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) directly from me. You can still get my previous previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. 

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! The Monkees, "Words"

Drawn from previous posts, this is not part of my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), though the book does contain a pretty emphatic sermon on behalf of the Monkees' "Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)."

An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!

THE MONKEES: Words

Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart

Produced by Chip Douglas

Single (B-side of "Pleasant Valley Sunday"), Colgems Records, 1967

This superb track was a mere B-side, friends. They don't make throwaways like they used to.

Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, "Words" has been one of my favorite Monkees tracks since the mid '70s, when I discovered there were Monkees songs above and beyond the handful I'd known since the previous decade. I've told the story elsewhere, so suffice it to say that cable TV reruns of The Monkees led me to the bulk of my most cherished Monkees cuts.

"Words" was one of the kingpins, along with "The Door Into Summer," "Daily Nightly," "Love Is Only Sleeping," and "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?," all from the group's 1967 album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.  I love the way the bass line on "Words" seems to coil like a cobra poised to strike, the shimmering, mesmerizing vibe, the pounding throb as it heads near the chorus, the sheer majesty of Micky Dolenz's vocal, and...and...

...and Peter Tork.

Tork did not take many lead vocal turns in the official Monkees canon. Vault raids in subsequent decades would exhume a few additional Tork-sung artifacts, and our Peter would much later deliver his best-ever vocal on "Wasn't Born To Follow," contained on the group's 2016 triumph Good Times! But in the midst of original Monkeemania, producers deemed his singing pitchy, and didn't use him. Tork's voice is really heard but four times on that era's records: Warbling the silly novelty number "Your Auntie Grizelda" on More Of The Monkees, rocking his own "Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again" on the Head soundtrack, trading leads with Davy Jones on the Headquarters track "Shades Of Grey," and doing the same thing with Dolenz on "Words."

"Words" was and remains my pick of the bunch.

"Words" was first done by the Leaves (of "Hey Joe" fame) in 1966. In between the Leaves and Pisces, a Boyce and Hart-produced Monkees version of the song had been used on the TV show. The remake on Pisces replaces Boyce and Hart's studio musicians with Tork and fellow Monkee Michael Nesmith, plus Jones on percussion, producer Chip Douglas on bass, and Fast Eddie Hoh on drums. The musical performance is hypnotic, Micky's voice is as terrific as always, and he mixes well with Peter in the back-and-forth leads.

The track's visual image was established by the TV show's video of the song, with a switched instrumentation line-up of Monkees--Tork on guitar, Nesmith on bass, Jones on drums, Dolenz with tambourine in hand--somberly miming and lip-syncing with brooding intensity. On record, the alternating lead vocals by Micky and Peter spit out the venom of a spurned, mistreated victim of passion, discarded by a cruel mistress. Chip Douglas's bass writhes and coils like a deadly serpent, Tork's keyboards heighten the sense of menace, and freakin' wind chimes add a deceptively pretty veneer as the singers' hearts break. 

Irrevocably. 

Sticks and stones? Words that never were true can hurt pretty efficiently in their own right. Strange voices in my ear. Sing it, Micky. Sing it, Peter. And play, magic fingers. Whether we're believers or just steppin' stones, we listen to the band.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

My new book of short stories Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is out now, and you can get autographed copies of the new book and my previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) directly from me. You can still get my previous previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. 

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1349

This week's playlist includes Muck and the Mires covering "It's Gonna Be Alright." This new version comes to us from the Muck-Mire collective's ace new release The Ghost Of Rocky Erickson, and it was originally done by British Invasion fabmeisters Gerry and the Pacemakers. A 1964 single for the Pacemakers, "It's Gonna Be Alright" also played over the opening credits of the 1965 film Ferry Cross The Mersey, a movie intended to be Gerry and his Liverpool lads' answer to the Beatles' cinematic success with A Hard Day's Night.

It was not.

Mind you, although four-year-old me did see A Hard Day's Night at the local drive-in upon its release in '64 (and many, many more times after that), I have never seen Ferry Cross The Mersey and cannot comment on its merits. I've always wanted to see it--it is, by definition, both the Citizen Kane of Gerry and the Pacemakers movies and the Plan 9 From Outer Space of Gerry and the Pacemakers movies, and all ticks in between--and in fact I own a copy of the film on DVD. I still want to see it. I haven't found the time.

Time is an elusive treasure, a gift that is precious and finite. I could do a much more efficient job of managing my time, and pursuit of that goal is part of the reason my once-daily blog now only appears two or three times a week. I have book projects that stubbornly refuse my plea for them to write themselves, a will to persevere that is constantly eroded by the sheer dumbassed toxicity of the world around us, and I'm still working a full-time retail job. For all that, I have time; I just don't use it very well.

I will. As I approach my 67th birthday in January, I'm set to cut back on my hours at work. I will do more writing, and also more traveling, more reading, more leisure. I'll finally get around to watching some of the B movies I've always wanted to see, like Ferry Cross The Mersey, and Micky Dolenz in Keep Off My Grass, and more respected films like North By Northwest. They're all waiting for me, and I'm just waiting to find the time I need.

That time will come. It's gonna be alright.

NEXT WEEK: THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO # 1350. IN THREE WEEKS: On September 6th, the long-awaited return of DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT. This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream, and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. 

You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO). You can follow Carl's daily blog at Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do).

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

Carl's new book Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is available! Read about it here. Autographed copies of Carl's previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) are available here, and you can still get Carl's previous previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

Volume 5: CD or download

TIRnRR # 1349: 8/16/2026

TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Songs we think we ain’t played before are listed in bold

SPECTRAFLAME: The Look In Your Eyes (single)

THE PRIMITIVES: I'll Be Your Mirror (RCA, Pure)

VERDELLE SMITH: Life Goes On (Columbia, single)

THE BREAKAWAYS: Walking Out On Love (Alive, THE NERVES: One Way Ticket)

MUCK AND THE MIRES: It's Gonna Be Alright (Rum Bar, The Ghost Of Roky Erickson EP)

THE 13th FLOOR ELEVATORS: You're Gonna Miss Me (Rhino, VA: Nuggets)

--

THE SPONGETONES: The Music At The Close (Big Stir, single)

THE BLASTERS: She Ain't Got The Beat (Hightone, American Music)

VICKI PETERSON AND JOHN COWSILL: Sound On Sound (Label 51, Long After The Fire)

CONTINENTAL DRIFTERS: Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway (Omnivore, White Noise & Lightning: The Best Of Continental Drifters)

JUDAS PRIEST: Heading Out To The Highway (Columbia, Point Of Entry)

ERMA FRANKLIN: Baby, What You Want Me To Do (Shout!, Piece Of Her Heart: The Epic And Shout Years)

--

JOHN LARSON: I Can Take You Anywhere (Shiny Fly, single)

THE STAPLE SINGERS: I'll Take You There (Stax, VA: Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration)

SKOOSHNY: Crossing Double Lines (Think Like A Key Music, The Recordings 1971-1981)

PAUL McCARTNEY AND WINGS: Getting Closer (Capitol, Back To The Egg)

THE NEW BRUTARIANS: Delinquent Things (single)

T. REX: 20th Century Boy (Hip-O, MARC BOLAN & T. REX: 20th Century Boy: The Ultimate Collection)

--

CINDY LAWSON: The Reckoning (Rum Bar, ¡Long Live The Resistance!)

AMY RIGBY: Requiem (Tapete, Hang In There With Me)

THE HIGH FREQUENCIES: Cleanup Time (Jem, Get High)

PERILOUS: Dear Heart (n/a, SOS)

THE CYNZ: Neighborhood Bully (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Bob Dylan)

THE BANGLES: Anna Lee (Sweetheart Of The Sun) (Down Kiddie, Sweetheart Of The Sun)

--

THE HOVERING SPOOKS: Grey Summer Night (single)

DAVID BOWIE: Hang On To Yourself (Virgin, Bowie At The Beeb)

LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: 1972 (Big Stir, single)

PATTI SMITH GROUP: Pumping (My Heart) (Arista, Radio Ethiopia)

THE AMPLIFIER HEADS: A Song Called Sha La La (Rum Bar, Super 8)

THE TROGGS: I Can't Control Myself (Fontana, Archeology 1966-1976)

--

ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN: Bettie Page Rides A Donkey (single)

THE SMALL FACES: Donkey Rides, A Penny A Glass (Weton, The Immediate Recordings)

THE JAMES CLARK INSTITUTE: A Donkey (single)

LITTLE EVA: Stand By Me (Real Gone Music, VA: Honeybeat: Groovy 60s Girl-Pop)

SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE: Stand! (Epic, Greatest Hits)

THE PRETENDERS: I'll Stand By You (Sire, Last Of The Independents)

--

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE MONKEES: Words (Rhino, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.)

BLONDIE: One Way Or Another (Chrysalis, The Platinum Collection)

BETH PEABODY: Out And About (single)

THE MOBERLYS: Leave The Past Behind (Cherry Red, VA: Looking For The Magic: American Power Pop In The Seventies)

GENE PITNEY: (I Wanna) Love My Life Away (One Way, Ultimate Anthology)

THE JAM: But I'm Different Now (Polydor, Direction Reaction Creation)

--

BANDA AL9: Indigo Skye (Wicked Cool, Hey! Hey! We're Banda AL9)

X-RAY SPEX: Germ Free Adolescents (Sanctuary, Germ Free Adolescents)

SERGIO CECCANTI: Leave The Past, Don't Look Behind (Kool Kat Musik, Leave The Past, Don't Look Behind)

RINGO STARR: Goodnight Vienna (It's All Down To) [single version] (Apple, Photograph: The Very Best Of Ringo Starr)

MAURICE WILLIAMS AND THE ZODIACS: Stay (Time-Life, VA: The Rock 'n' Roll Era: 1960)

THE MUFFS: Crush Me (Omnivore, Happy Birthday To Me)

PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN: Nuclear Boy (FullerTone, Dreamworld)

20/20: Yellow Pills (Oglio, 20/20--Lookout)

--

PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN: Tolerant World (FullerTone, Dreamworld)

JOHN LENNON: Power To The People (Capitol, The John Lennon Collection)

GARRET VANDERMOLEN: Take It Back (The Sound Cove, single)

THE RUTLES: Number One (Rhino, The Rutles)

THE HALF/CUBES: The Ghost At Number One (Jem, single)

THE MnM'S: I'm Tired (Burger, Melts In Your Ears 1980-81)

THE RAMONES: I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You (Rhino, Ramones)

THE BEATLES: Tomorrow Never Knows (Apple, Revolver)

--

THE KINKS: Dedicated Follower Of Fashion (Konk, To The Bone)

Tonight on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

We have the latest 'n' greatest from SPECTRAFLAME, THE SPONGETONES, MUCK AND THE MIRES, JOHN LARSON, THE HOVERING SPOOKS, ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN (covering THE JAMES CLARK INSTITUTE), THE JAMES CLARK INSTITUTE (covering ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN), and PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN, varying vintage TIRnRR Fresh Spins from CINDY LAWSON, RINGO STARR, CONTINENTAL DRIFTERS, and BANDA AL9, recent and sorta-recent faves by THE HALF/CUBES, THE NEW BRUTARIANS, VICKI PETERSON AND JOHN COWSILL, PERILOUS, THE CYNZ, THE HIGH FREQUENCIES, LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS, THE AMPLIFIER HEADS, BETH PEABODY, SERGIO CECCANTI, and GARRET VANDERMOLEN, and a further barrage o' greatness courtesy of SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE, THE JAM, THE BANGLES, THE MONKEES, THE RAMONES, THE MUFFS, THE SMALL FACES, THE STAPLE SINGERS, AMY RIGBY, SKOOSHNY, THE PRIMITIVES, THE 13th FLOOR ELEVATORS, DAVID BOWIE, ERMA FRANKLIN, T. REX, GENE PITNEY, THE MOBERLYS, PATTI SMITH,  VERDELLE SMITH, 20/20, ERMA FRANKLIN, THE BLASTERS, and more. We call it The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet. We hope YOU'LL call it a fantastic way to spend the evening. Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming via sparksyracuse.org, and as WESTCOTT RADIO on the Radio Garden app. The weekend stops HERE!

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! The Rolling Stones, "She's A Rainbow"

Drawn from previous posts, this is not part of my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).

An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!

THE ROLLING STONES: She's A Rainbow

Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

Produced by The Rolling Stones

Single, Decca Records [UK]/London Records [US], 1967

Standing in the shadows of Sgt. Pepper, or a bold Stonesy step the pop world wasn't ready to take in 1967? 

It's been many, many years since I've listened to the Rolling Stones' 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request in its entirety, and I owe myself a refresher course in its virtues, vices, lanterns, and gompers. My first copy of the record came a little more than a decade after the fact, a used reissue pressing sans 3D cover graphics, but still dripping with the black-light atmosphere of its psychedelic reputation. It was...fine. Good. It was no Aftermath, certainly no Big Hits (High Tide And Green Grass), but really, what was? I kinda liked the hippie vibe of the LP's opening track "Sing This All Together." My proto-punk teen self took to the riff-driven "Citadel," and I paid occasional tribute to the bass player with spins of Bill Wyman's "In Another Land." The rest of the record rarely registered on my Satanic Majesties' request line in 1978.

That said, Side Two does contain a couple of tracks I knew from my battered 'n' cherished copy of Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2): "2000 Light Years From Home" and "She's A Rainbow." Those tracks were paired as a single just ahead of the Satanic Majesties Request LP's release. There's much to be said for both, but "She's A Rainbow" was my favorite of the two, more accessible as a pop song than "2000 Light Years From Home" would wish to be. 

When I (belatedly) began watching the wonderful Ted Lasso series last year, I was taken with the fact that one of the show's characters, Leslie Higgins, has "She's A Rainbow" as his phone's ringtone when he receives a call from his wife Julie. Better yet, it turns out that "She's A Rainbow" was the song playing the moment Mr. Higgins first met the eventual Mrs. Higgins. It is, in the popular parlance, their song. And Leslie keeps it as his ringtone because Julie remains his rainbow, even after decades together.

Satanic? Majestic! Coming in colors every day, "She's A Rainbow" is a pristine expression of love everlasting, courtesy of those bad boys the Rolling Stones. Save your sympathy for some other devil.  Ooh-la-la-ooh-la-la-lala....

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

My new book of short stories Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is out now, and you can get autographed copies of the new book and my previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) directly from me. You can still get my previous previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. 

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1348

Graham Parker's appearance on a recent episode of the superswell podcast Letting Them Talk With Will Harris got me thinking about casting a TIRnRR Featured Performer spotlight on some of Parker's work. Letting Them Talk provides a fascinating interview, and I was taken with the fact that Parker himself is the one who brings up his contribution to my 2025 Flashcubes tribute album; while I'm certain that our pal Will must have mentioned that Cubic subject in his pre-show prep with the mighty GP, I'm grateful that it came up at all. 

It's been roughly fifty years since the first time I heard Graham Parker's music, a revelation granted to sixteen-year-old me when Utica, NY's WOUR-FM started programming "Hotel Chambermaid." It was an early harbinger of what I would later refer to as my musical crucible, 1976 to '78 or so, as my established rockin' pop POV expanded to include the likes of Parker, Greg Kihn, the Rubinoos, Nick Lowe, the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, the Runaways, Television, Blondie, Elvis Costello, the Jam, Patti Smith, the Flashcubes, Eddie and the Hot Rods, the Romantics, et al. If I'm looking for an onramp into those broader vistas in pop music, when the lights are low you know I'm gonna go for my hotel chambermaid.

So here's a modest salute to the impact of Mr. Graham Parker, beginning with a new live version of the song that started it all for me in 1976 and paradin' with pride through the varied experiences of heat treatment, squeezing out sparks, steady nerves, the Mona Lisa's sister, burning questions, and the last chance to learn the Twist. We mingle all of this with music from other artists, because radio taught me there's no substitute for hearing great records played right alongside other great records.

We play the hits. Keep on hitting, Mr. Parker. Keep right on hitting. This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream, and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. 

You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO). You can follow Carl's daily blog at Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do).

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

Carl's new book Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is available! Read about it here. Autographed copies of Carl's previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) are available here, and you can still get Carl's previous previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

Volume 5: CD or download

TIRnRR # 1348: 8/2/2026

TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Songs we think we ain’t played before are listed in bold

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE GOLDTOPS: Hotel Chambermaid (Big Stir, Quality Footwear: Live At The Brook)

TALKING HEADS: 1, 2, 3 Red Light [live] (Rhino, Tentative Decisions: Demos & Live)

ALTERED IMAGES: Happy Birthday (Epic, I Could Be Happy: The Best Of Altered Images)

THE RUBINOOS: The Girl (Big Deal, Basement Tapes)

THE BREAKERS: Boy Meets Girl (Grown Up Wrong!, Night After Night)

THE CYNICS: Girl, You're On My Mind (Get Hip, Rock 'N' Roll)

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THE NEW BRUTARIANS: Delinquent Things (single)

THE SYN: I'm Following You (Grapefruit, VA: You Can Walk Across It On The Grass--The Boutique Sounds Of Swinging London)

THE CYNZ: Neighborhood Bully (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Bob Dylan)

THE YARDBIRDS: Little Games (Rhino, Ultimate!)

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE RUMOUR: Saturday Nite Is Dead (Spectrum, The Very Best Of Graham Parker And The Rumour)

THE BANGLES: Manic Monday (Columbia, Greatest Hits)
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GARRET VANDERMOLEN: Take It Back (The Sound Cove, single)

THE ON AND ONS: Let Ya Hair Down! (Citadel, Let Ya Hair Down!)

GRAHAM PARKER: Ordinary Girl (RCA, The Best Of Graham Parker 1988-1991)

THE EXPLODING HEARTS: Modern Kicks (Dirtnap, Guitar Romantic)

THE SPONGETONES: Lifetimeline (Big Stir, single)

DWIGHT TWILLEY: Remedies (Big Deal, VA: Yellow Pills--The Best Of American Pop! Volume 1)

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LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: 1972 (Big Stir, single)

WRECKLESS ERIC: The Lucky Ones (Tapete, England Screaming)

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE FIGGS: Take Everything (Razor & Tie, The Last Rock 'n' Roll Tour)
THE MIGHTY LEMON DROPS: Take Me Up [live] (Cherry Red, Inside Out 1985-1990)
MIKE BROWNING: She Gets Carried Away (single)

THE CLASH: I Fought The Law (Epic, Clash On Broadway)
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HERB EIMERMAN: Designed By You (single)

THE TEXTONES: I Can't Fight It (Ace, VA: The Chiswick Story)

THE CHELSEA CURVE: I Can't Help (Rum Bar, The Rideout)

THE SUGARCUBES: Motorcrash (Elektra, Life's Too Good)

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE SHOT: Canned Laughter (Elektra, Steady Nerves)

THE FUN BOY THREE: It Ain't What You Do (It's The Way That You Do It) (Chrysalis, The Best Of Fun Boy Three)

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THE EASTERN DARK: Julie Is A Junkie (Grown Up Wrong!, single)

THE SMITHS: Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now (Rhino, The Sound Of The Smiths [deluxe edition])

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE GOLDTOPS: It Mattered To Me (Big Stir, Quality Footwear: Live At The Brook)

DINOSAUR JR: Just Like Heaven (Merge, You're Living All Over Me)

THE RAMONES: I Don't Want To Grow Up (Radioactive, ¡Adios Amigos!)
XTC: Science Friction (Geffen, Waxworks: Some Singles 1977-1982)
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The Greatest Record Ever Made!

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE RUMOUR: Pouring It All Out (Spectrum, The Very Best Of Graham Parker And The Rumour)

SNIFF 'N' THE TEARS: Driver's Seat (Cherry Red, VA: Surrender To The Rhythm--The London Pub Rock Scene Of The Seventies)

BEATHOVEN: Darlin' (Grown Up Wrong!, At Pascoe Vale High School 1977)

WIRE: Feeling Called Love (Pinkflag, Pink Flag)

SUNBUZZ: Together As One (single)

THE SEARCHERS: Feeling Fine (Omnivore, Another Night: The Sire Recordings 1979-1981)

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GRAHAM PARKER AND THE GOLDTOPS: We Did Nothing (Big Stir, Last Chance To Learn The Twist)

THE SMALL FACES: What'cha Gonna Do About It (Deram, The Decca Anthology 1965-1967)

GRAHAM PARKER: Release Me (Capitol, Burning Questions)

THE MUFFS: Honeymoon (Omnivore, Happy Birthday To Me)

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE SHOT: Locked Into Green (Elektra, Steady Nerves)

PAUL COLLINS' BEAT: She Doesn't Want To Hang Around With You (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE RUMOUR: Mercury Poisoning (Spectrum, The Very Best Of Graham Parker And The Rumour)

LULU: That's Really Some Good (RPM, Shout! The Complete Decca Recordings)

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GRAHAM PARKER AND MIKE GENT: Pathetic (Big Stir, VA: Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes)

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE GOLDTOPS: Last Stretch Of The Road (Big Stir, Last Chance To Learn The Twist)

GRAHAM PARKER: Don't Let It Break You Down (RCA, The Best Of Graham Parker 1988-1991)

LYRES: Help You Ann (Matador, On Fyre)

DMZ: Can't Stand The Pain (Voxx, VA: Be A Caveman--The Best Of The Voxx Garage Revival 1979-1990)

LYRES: You Won't Be Sad Anymore (Matador, Lyres Lyres)

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE RUMOUR: Discovering Japan (Arista, Squeezing Out Sparks)

THE BEATLES: I Call Your Name (Apple, Past Masters)

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GRAHAM PARKER: Come And Get It (RPH Productions, VA: Lost Songs Of Lennon & McCartney--From A Window)

NRBQ: Red Planet (ArQive, Park West '83)