THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! David Ruffin, "I Want You Back"

From 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!

DAVID RUFFIN: I Want You Back

Written by The Corporation [Berry Gordy, Fonce Mizell, Freddie Perren, and Deke Richards]
Produced by Clay McMurray
Recorded circa 1970, originally unreleased. First issued on the various-artists set The Ultimate Rarities Collection # 1--Motown Sings Motown Treasures, Motown, 1998

When working on a new recording, there are times when an artist is absolutely confident the great track at hand will become a surefire hit. Book it. Top of the pops, # 1 with a bullet. In the '80s, the members of a fantastic pop band called the dB's were certain, certain that they'd created an irresistible worldwide smash with their recording of a terrific song called "Love Is For Lovers." The song didn't even chart. But it felt like a hit, and it still feels like it should have been a hit. 

One wonders if David Ruffin had that feeling when he was recording "I Want You Back," that surefire faith that he would hit the toppermost of the poppermost with this new hit. If he did, he could not have been more wrong.

In this situation, some hubris would have seemed justified, really. Ruffin had been a proven and experienced hitmaker with the Temptations. If Motown was the sound of young America in the '60s, the Temptations were arguably the sound of Motown. Their hits were many, their popularity vast, and "My Girl" in particular is immortal, and perhaps the definitive Motown single. "My Girl" is furthermore the sort of pervasive classic that is always lying somewhere near the surface of your subconscious, a tune you might not think anyone ever actually wrote, but which must instead have been passed down from generation to generation.

Ruffin had been the lead voice on "My Girl," as well as on the Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," "(I Know) I'm Losing You," and "I Wish It Would Rain," among others. But by 1968, being one of the Temptations had ceased to bring Ruffin sunshine on a cloudy day. With that, he was no longer a Temptation.

Solo success ultimately proved fleeting for Ruffin. 1969's "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)" was a Top 10 hit on both the pop and R & B charts, and "I've Lost Everything I've Ever Loved" and "I'm So Glad I Fell For You" were Top 20 soul hits ignored by the pop Top 40. As the success of the Temptations continued into the early '70s, the group's former lead singer could have used a sweeter song than the birds in the trees. For Ruffin, the hits had stopped.

Could Ruffin's version of "I Want You Back" have been the hit it deserved to be, the hit Ruffin's recording career kinda needed it to be? Alas, not in the real world. Some believe that Ruffin recorded "I Want You Back" roughly contemporary to when the Jackson Five cut the version that would become their smash debut Motown single. It was, after all, standard operating procedure for acts within Berry Gordy's empire to record competing versions of the same song, with a designated Chosen One then anointed as hit-worthy. But the J5's "I Want You Back" ascended the charts in 1969; Ruffin's version was likely recorded in 1970, part of the sessions for a proposed 1971 album shelved by Motown. 

Nonetheless: it should have been released. And it should have been a hit.

Ruffin's "I Want You Back" eventually saw the light of day in...wait, 1998?! Well, that's screwy. It was on a compilation called The Ultimate Rarities Collection # 1: Motown Sings Motown Treasures. It was the second track on the CD, following (of course) the Jackson Five's rendition of the Miracles' "You've Really Got A Hold On Me." Ruffin had already been dead for seven years by the time this track finally made its long-delayed trip to retail racks.

Who can say what might have been? Ruffin's unreleased 1971 album was at long last exhumed for belated public consumption in 2004. David (aka The Unreleased Album) is absolutely prime Ruffin, and I can't wrap my head around wondering why we weren't allowed to hear it when it was new. And, as great as the Jackson Five's "I Want You Back" is, Ruffin's is even better. A hit. It should have been a hit.

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! Great Buildings, "Hold On To Something"

Drawn from a previous post, 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!

GREAT BUILDINGS: Hold On To Something

Written by Danny Wilde, Ian Ainsworth, and Phil Solem

Produced by John Boylan

Single from the album Apart From The Crowd, Columbia Records, 1981

Recommended if you like [your Fave Rave here].

RIYLs can help us find new favorites. But they can also create a false and unfair expectation. In 1981, I read somewhere (possibly in CREEM, maybe in Trouser Press) that Great Buildings were like a male counterpart to the Go-Go's. I believe it was meant as a compliment, and since Beauty And The Beat was my top album that year, the comparison provided sufficient push for me to purchase Great Buildings' Apart From The Crowd LP before I had ever heard a note of the group's music.

And I was disappointed. It didn't sound anything at all like the Go-Go's. I filed it away.

I came back to it, though. Freed of the misconception that it would sound like boys singin' original tunes that channeled "We Got The Beat," I grew to appreciate the LP on its own sterling merit. Opening track "Hold On To Something" freaking knocked me out, once I gave it its proper opportunity. 

Great Buildings' Danny Wilde and Ian Ainsworth had been in the Quick, whose quirky 1976 cover of the Beatles' "It Won't Be Long" got some airplay on Utica's WOUR-FM when I was in high school. After Great Buildings closed up shop, Wilde went solo, and eventually reconnected with Great Buildings guitarist Phil Solem to form the Rembrandts. The Rembrandts scored a Top 20 hit with "Just The Way It Is, Baby," and achieved pop culture immortality with "I'll Be There For You," the theme from Friends. Maybe you're sick of that song--dig what you dig--but it was the number one song on the radio the week my daughter was born, and I will always, always cherish that memory.

Comparing Great Buildings to the Go-Go's was a fake-out, and the disparity between what was teased and what was delivered turned me off. Initially. But without that PSYCH! moment, would I have even gotten around to hearing Great Buildings at the time? No harm, no foul. The apparent dead end of that RIYL still led me to "Hold On To Something," a magnificent track that has now been in my all-time Hot 200 for more than four decades. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Baby, baby, baby, hold on.

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 # 1353

This week's extravaganza opens with "Overwhelmed By Reality," the latest supercool single from the mighty Perilous. In addition to its status as another righteous rock 'n' roll ripper from these ever-reliable TIRnRR fave raves, the title itself serves as my own status update.

Overwhelmed by reality? Yeah, that sums me up pretty succinctly nowadays. I don't want to do anything. I don't even feel like writing, and I usually love writing. I disagree with Dorothy Parker's POV of disliking the act of writing and only digging the result of having written. Man, I enjoy the process of writing, and I am my own biggest fan. But the spark isn't sufficiently there at the moment. It's not writer's block; I know how to deal with that. It's a lack of motivation. It's a feeling of defeat.

I also know that bad guys win when good guys give in or give up. I may not quite qualify as a good guy, and writing about pop music or superheroes falls far short of even a minimal threshold for truly fighting the good fight. But living is an act of defiance. Enjoying life and love and art and community is de facto resistance. Surrender bad; perseverance good. Our path to overcoming a seemingly overwhelming reality begins by moving forward, in whatever incremental step is within our capability.

These are the incremental steps in my immediate view. This week, I'll be appearing on The Spoon podcast with Robbie Rist, Chris Jackson, and Thom Bowers to talk about my books, and probably about navigating our current road to ruin. I'm going to try to restart and continue work on my next book. I'm going to walk hand-in-hand with my wife, I'm going to play music, and I'm going to dance, because oppressors just hate it when we dance. 

And when early voting commences in New York next month, my ballot will be straight BLUE, no matter who. It's time WE overwhelm THEM. 

In the meantime, we got songs! And 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 # 1353: 9/13/2026

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

PERILOUS: Overwhelmed By Reality (single)

NICK LOWE: Nutted By Reality (Yep Roc, Jesus Of Cool)

MARVIN GAYE AND TAMMI TERRELL: Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing (Motown, VA: Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971)

BLONDIE: Kung Fu Girls [Take 8] (Numero, Against The Odds: 1974-1982)

CHRISTINA JEAN AND HER ALL-STARS: Teenage Kicks (Rum Bar, single)

VIOLENT FEMMES: Blister In The Sun (Beyond, Viva Wisconsin)

--

THE KENNEDYS: Girl On A Motorcycle (The Kennedys, Smoketree)

THE HOLLIES: Carrie Anne (EMI, All The Hits And More: The Definitive Collection)

THE VIBEKE SAUGESTAD BAND: Last Days Of Summer (Rum Bar, The Sun Sessions)

MARY LOU LORD: Driven Away (Fire, She'd Be A Diamond)

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

JOAN JETT: Wooly Bully (Blackheart, Bad Reputation)

--

COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: Back Where You Belong (Wicked Cool, Joyride)

DEBBIE DUVEEN AND THE MILLBANKS: Don't Belong (Woronzow, Neon Classic)

THE KINKS: This Is Where I Belong (Sanctuary, The Anthology 1964-1971)

DUMPTRUCK: Back Where I Belong (Cherry Red, VA: This Can't Be Today--American Psychedelia & The Paisley Underground 1977-1988)

THE QUICK: It Won't Be Long (Real Gone Music, Mondo Deco)

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: I Don't Belong (Reprise, An American Treasure)

--

GARY CALAMAR: She's So Mid-Century (Big Stir, Odd Numb3rs And Slanted Rhymes)

LUIS FONSI/ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS: Tu Eres Para Mi [You Belong To Me] (Universal, Spanish Model)

LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: 1972 (Big Stir, single)

THE ENGLISH BEAT: Two Swords (IRS, I Just Can't Stop It)

JOHN LARSON: Let's Kiss And Break Up (Shiny Fly, Wonder Over Worry)

THE KNACK: Can I Borrow A Kiss (Rhino, Zoom)

--

TA-80: Two Slices Of Bread (single)

ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN: Black Glitter (single)

THE BANGLES: Glitter Years (Columbia, Everything)

SIR PRIZE AND THE TOMORROW KNIGHTZ: Illuminaughty (n/a, Glitter Gum And Bubble Pop)

THE EQUALS: Police On My Back (Ice, First Among Equals)

THE JAC (INTERNATIONAL EDITION): Are You Ever Coming Back (single)

--

DEAN LANDEW: Sayin' Goodbye To My Crazy Days (DRL, single)

JOE JACKSON: Beat Crazy (A & M, Steppin' Out: The Very Best Of Joe Jackson)

SPECTRAFLAME: The Look In Your Eyes (single)

ROXY MUSIC: Angel Eyes (Atco, Manifesto)

DARRELL BANKS: Angel Baby (Don't You Ever Leave Me) (Sepia Tone, Darrell Banks Is Here!)

THE GRIP WEEDS: Before I Close My Eyes (Ground Up, House Of Vibes Revisited)

--

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

DAVID RUFFIN: I Want You Back (Hip-O Select, David Ruffin--The Unreleased Album)

THE PRETENDERS: Back Down (Rhino, Pirate Radio 1979-2005)

RADIO DAYS: Keep Me Straight (Wild Honey, Off The Record)

MATTHEW SWEET AND SUSANNA HOFFS: Back Of A Car (Shout Factory, Under The Covers Vol. 2)

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

THE WELL WISHERS: Back Of The Line (n/a, Expected Outcomes)

--

GLENN ERB: Foggy Clouds (single)

THEE HEADCOATEES: Give It To Me (Damaged Goods, The Kids Are All Square--This Is Hip & Girlsville)

THE RAMONES: I Can't Give You Anything (Rhino, Rocket To Russia)

THE MUFFS: My Mind's Eye (Sympathy For The Record Industry, Hamburger)

THE HALF/CUBES: The Mighty Quinn (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Bob Dylan)

THE 'B' GIRLS: Fun At The Beach (Other Peoples Music, Who Says Girls Can't Rock)

JOE GIDDINGS: Tonite Tonite (Kool Kat Musik, Stories With Guitars)

PEARL HARBOR AND THE EXPLOSIONS: Black Slacks (Blixa Sounds, Pearl Harbor & the Explosions)

--

RADIO KARMA: Sweetheart Deal (n/a, We Were Gods)

SHOUT OUT LOUDS: Oh, Sweetheart (Bud Fox Recordings, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff)

THE MONKEES: Love To Love (Rhino, Good Times!)

SPEEDFOSSIL: Sweetheart (Sonic Escort, Room With A VU, Vol. 1)

THE FOUR TOPS: Reach Out I'll Be There (Motown, The Ultimate Collection)

SPITBALLS: Way Over There (Castle, Home Of The Hits/The Beserkley Records Story

[REDACTED] FEATURING [REDACTED]: [REDACTED] (Big Stir, single)

THE BEATLES: Dizzy Miss Lizzie [live] (Apple, The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl)

--

PERILOUS: Rock & Roll Runaway (single)

Tonight on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

 

We have both sides of a new single by PERILOUS, both sides of a new split single by ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN and TA-80, and more new sides from THE KENNEDYS, COCKTAIL SLIPPERS, CHRISTINA JEAN AND HER ALL-STARS, GARY CALAMAR, JOHN LARSON, DEAN LANDEW, RADIO DAYS, GLENN ERB, and RADIO KARMA. We'll bolster the new with a bracin' mix of old, recent, and who-cares-when-it's-from--it's-GREAT! by MARVIN GAYE AND TAMMI TERRELL, THE CYNZ, THE HALF/CUBES, BLONDIE, JOAN JETT, DEBBIE DUVEEN AND THE MILLBANKS, LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS, THE VIBEKE SAUGESTAD BAND, THE EQUALS, NICK LOWE, THE BANGLES, SPECTRAFLAME, MARY LOU LORD, SKOOSHNY, ROXY MUSIC, THE KINKS, THE MONKEES, THE RAMONES, SIR PRIZE AND THE TOMORROW KNIGHTZ, THE ENGLISH BEAT, THE QUICK, THE GRIP WEEDS, PEARL HARBOR AND THE EXPLOSIONS, THE WELL WISHERS, THE MUFFS, and more. Of course, we'll also serve up another spin of the fab forthcoming new single side by [REDACTED] FEATURING [REDACTED], with a promise that all will be revealed in the coming week. All sides agree: This is the Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet. And want you on OUR side. 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!

DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT: The First 15 Years

 

With The 15th Annual DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT now in the books, it's time to update the list of songs that Dana has included in his Soul Pit over the last decade and a half of smoke and sweat.

Here 'tis!

THE "5" ROYALES: Think

THE 5TH DIMENSION: Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In (The Flesh Failures)

THE 5TH DIMENSION: Stone Soul Picnic

THE 5TH DIMENSION: Up Up And Away

20 MILES: Come Right In

THE AD LIBS: The Boy From New York City

THE AD LIBS: Nothing Worse Than Being Alone

ARTHUR ALEXANDER: Anna (Go To Him)

ARTHUR ALEXANDER: A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues

MOSE ALLISON: Parchman Farm

MOSE ALLISON: Young Man's Blues

SAMMY AMBROSE: This Diamond Ring

KIP ANDERSON: I Feel Good

VICKI ANDERSON: If You Don't Give Me What I Want (I Gonna Get It Some Other Place)

BOBBY ANGELLE: Too Much For You

BOBBY ANHELLE: Too Much For You

JOAN ARMATRADING: Me Myself I

P. P. ARNOLD: Angel Of The Morning

P. P. ARNOLD:  (If You Think You're) Groovy

LAVERN BAKER: Voodoo Voodoo

MARCIA BALL: That's Enough Of That Stuff

BESSIE BANKS: Go Now

DARRELL BANKS: Angel Baby (Don't You Ever Leave Me)

THE BAR-KAYS: Hey Jude

THE BAR-KAYS: Shake Your Rump To The Funk

THE BAR-KAYS: Soul Finger

RICHIE BARRETT: Some Other Guy

DAVE BARTHOLOMEW: My Ding-A-Ling

FONTELLA BASS: I Surrender

FONTELLA BASS: Rescue Me

SHIRLEY BASSEY: Goldfinger

THE BEATLES: Anna

THE BEATLES: Devil In Her Heart

ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS: Tighten Up

CHUCK BERRY: Maybelline

CHUCK BERRY: Rock And Roll Music

RICHARD BERRY: Have Love, Will Travel

RICHARD BERRY & THE PHAROAHS: Louie Louie

BETTY BIBBS: Pounds Of Soul

BIG SAMBO & THE HOUSE WRECKERS: At The Party

BLACK HEAT: Drive My Car

MARION BLACK: Come And Gettit

OTIS BLACKWELL: Daddy Rollin' Stone

BOBBY BLAND: Do What You Set Out To Do

BOBBY BLAND: Driftin' Blues

BOBBY "BLUE" BLAND: Don't Cry No More

BOBBY "BLUE" BLAND: Turn On Your Lovelight

EDDIE BO: The Hook And Sling

GARY U.S. BONDS: I Wanta Holler (But The Town's Too Small)

GARY U.S. BONDS: It's Only Love

GARY U.S. BONDS: Minnie The Moocher

BOOKER T & THE MGs: Green Onions

BOOKER T & THE MGs: I Want You (She's So Heavy)

BOOKER T & THE MG'S: Time Is Tight

BOOKER T &  THE MG'S: You Can't Do That

TINY BRADSHAW: The Train Kept A-Rollin'

BRENDA & THE TABULATIONS: Walk On In

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER: He's Gone

GENIE BROOKS: South Side Of Soul Street

THE BROTHER JOHNSON: Get The Funk Out Ma Face

THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS: The Times They Are A Changing

JAMES BROWN: Cold Sweat

JAMES BROWN: Get On The Good Foot

JAMES BROWN: Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved

JAMES BROWN: Gut Bucket

JAMES BROWN: I Need Your Key (To Turn Me On)

SIR LATTIMORE BROWN: Shake And Vibrate

MAXINE BROWN: All In My Mind

MAXINE BROWN: Baby Cakes

ROY BROWN: Rockin' At Midnight

PEABO BRYSON: Minute By Minute

BUNZU SOUNDS: Zinabu

SOLOMON BURKE: Maggie's Farm

SOLOMON BURKE: Proud Mary

ROY BYRD: Rockin' With Fes

CHARLES CALDWELL: Hadn't I Been Good To You

CARL CARLTON: She's A Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)

ROSS CARNEGIE: Cool Dad

JAMES CARR: Pouring Water On A Drowning Man

ALVIN CASH & THE REGISTERS: Alvin's Boo-Ga-Loo

SHARON CASH: Fever

THE JIMMY CASTOR BUNCH: Tribute To Jimi

THE CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD: Come Together

THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS: All Strung Out Over You

THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS: I Can't Stand It

GENE CHANDLER: Eleanor Rigby

GENE CHANDLER: Nothing Can Stop Me

THE CHANTERS: No, No, No

RAY CHARLES: Let's Go Get Stoned

RAY CHARLES: Mess Around

CHUBBY CHECKER: Back In The USSR

CHUBBY CHECKER: The Fly

CLIFTON CHENIER: Jambalaya

THE CHI-LITES: (For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People

THE CHIFFONS: The First And Last

DEE CLARK: That's My Girl

JUDY CLAY: Sister Pitiful

MERRY CLAYTON: Gimme Shelter

JIMMY CLIFF: Miss Jamaica

GEORGE CLINTON: Do Fries Go With That Shake?

THE COASTERS: Poison Ivy

THE COASTERS: Searchin'

THE COASTERS: That Is Rock & Roll

COLD GRITS: It's Your Thing

NAT KING COLE: (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66

KING COLEMAN: (Do The) Mashed Potatoes

BOOTSY COLLINS: Bootzilla

BOOTSY COLLINS: What's So Never The Dance

THE COMMODORES: Machine Gun

ARTHUR CONLEY: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

THE CONTOURS: Do You Love Me

SAM COOKE: Chain Gang

THE COOKIES: Chains

ELIZABETH COTTEN: Holy Ghost, Unchain My Name

DON COVAY: Watching The Late, Late Show

ARTHUR "BIG BOY" CRUDUP: She's Got No Hair

ARTHUR "BIG BOY" CRUDUP: That's All Right

DANDY: Rudy, A Message To You

BETTY DAVIS: If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up

SAMMY DAVIS, JR: What Kind Of Fool Am I?

TYRONE DAVIS: Can I Change My Mind

BOBBY DAY: Over And Over

DESMOND DEKKER & HIS ACES: 007 (Shanty Town)

DESMOND DEKKER & THE ACES: The Israelites

THE DEL ROYALS: Always Naggin'

DERRICK & PATSY: Housewive's Choice

SUGAR PIE DeSANTO: Hello, San Francisco [Part 1]

SUGAR PIE DeSANTO: In The Basement (Part 2)

BO DIDDLEY: Cadillac

BO DIDDLEY: Pretty Thing

BO DIDDLEY: Road Runner

BO DIDDLEY: Say Man

BO DIDDLEY: You Don't Love Me

THE DIXIE CUPS: Iko Iko

KING CURTIS & THE KINGPINS: Ode To Billie Joe

ERNIE K-DOE: A Certain Girl

ERNIE K-DOE: Mother-In-Law

BILL DOGGETT: Honky Tobk (Part 2)

BILL DOGGETT: Ram-Bunk-Shush

FATS DOMINO: Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey

THE DONAYS: Devil In His Heart 

THE DONTELLS: In Your Heart (You Know I'm Right)

LEE DORESEY: Behind The 8-Ball

LEE DORSEY: Ride Your Pony

LEE DORSEY: Working In a Coal Mine

LEE DORSEY: Ya Ya

BIG AL DOWNING: Georgia Slop

SNOOKS EAGLIN: Red Beans

EARTH, WIND & FIRE: Got To Get You Into My Life

EARTH, WIND & FIRE: September

EARTH, WIND & FIRE: Shining Star

THE EQUALS: Police On My Back

THE ESQUIRES: And Get Away

THE ESQUIRES: Get On Up

ESQUERITA: Rockin' The Joint

GIL EVANS & HIS ORCHESTRA: Crosstown Traffic

BETTY EVERETT: Getting Mighty Crowded

BETTY EVERETT: God Only Knows

BETTY EVERETT: I've Got A Claim On You

BETTY EVERETT: The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)

THE EXCITERS: He's Got The Power

ELLA FITZGERALD: Savoy Truffle

ELLA FITZGERALD: Sunshine Of Your Love

THE FIVE DU-TONES: Shake A Tail Feather

THE FLAIRS: Foot Stompin'

EDDIE FLOYD: Knock On Wood

EDDIE FLOYD: Raise Your Hand

FRANKIE FORD: Sea Cruise

THE FOUR TOPS: I Can't Help Myself

ARETHA FRANKLIN: Chain Of Fools

ARETHA FRANKLIN: Do Right Woman-Do Right Man

ARETHA FRANKLIN: Eleanor Rigby

CAROLYN FRANKLIN: Boxer

ERMA FRANKLIN: Baby I Love You

ERMA FRANKLIN: It's Over

ERMA FRANKLIN: Light My Fire

BOBBY FREEMAN: Do You Wanna Dance

LOWELL FULSON: Tramp

LOWELL FULSON: Why Don't We Do It In The Road?

DAN GARDNER & DEE DEE FORD: I Need Your Lovin'

GASHEAD: Why Do You Treat Me Like A Tramp

MARVIN GAYE: Hitch Hike

MARVIN GAYE: Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)

MARVIN GAYE: Sexual Healing

MARVIN GAYE: There Goes My Baby

MARVIN GAYE: What's Goin' On

MARVIN GAYE & TAMMI TERRELL: Ain't No Mountain High Enough

GLORIA GAYNOR: I Will Survive

BARBARA GEORGE: I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)

THE GLADIOLAS: Little Darlin'

GQ: Disco Night (Rock-Freak)

GQ: I Do Love You

THE GRAND PRIXX: You Drive Me Crazy

R. B. GREAVES: Paperback Writer

AL GREEN: I Want To Hold Your Hand

AL GREEN: Let's Stay Together

AL GREEN: Take Me To The River

AL GREEN: Tired Of Being Alone

THE GROOVE MASTERS: When Nature Calls

BILLY GUY: Here I Am

BIG JOHN HAMILTON: Big Bad John

JOHN HAMILTON & DORIS ALLEN: Them Changes

WILLIE HARPER: A Certain Girl

SLIM HARPO: I've Got Love If You Want It

VERNON HARRELL: Slick Chick

WYNONIE HARRIS: All She Wants To Do Is Rock

WYNONIE HARRIS: Lovin' Machine

WILBURT HARRISON: Let's Stick Together

RICHIE HAVENS: Freedom

RICHIE HAVENS: Here Comes The Sun

RICHIE HAVENS: Rocky Raccoon

RAY HAWKINS: The Thrill Is Gone

SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS: A Hard Day's Night

SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS: Talk About Me

ISAAC HAYES: Title Theme (From Three Tough Guys)

LEON HAYWOOD: Strokin' Pt. 2

HEATWAVE: Boogie Nights

DONALD HEIGHT: Don't Let Me Down

JOE HENDERSON: Snap Your Fingers

JIMI HENDRIX: Let Me Move You

CLARENCE "FROGMAN" HENRY: It Won't Be Long

THE HIGH NUMBERS: I'm The Face

JESSIE HILL: Ooh Poo Pah Doo (Pt. 1)

JESSIE HILL: Ooh Poo Pah Doo (Pt. 2)

JESSIE HILL: Whip It On Me

L. HOLLIS & THE MACKADOOS: Bui Bui

RICHARD "GROOVE" HOLMES & BRENDA JONES: This Is The Me Me (Not The You You)

THE HONEY CONE: Want Ads

JOHN LEE HOOKER: Dimples

CISSY HOUSTON: Down In The Boondocks

HOWLIN' WOLF: Smokestack Lightnin'

HOWLIN' WOLF: Spoonful

PAUL HUMPHREY & HIS COOL AID CHEMISTS: Funky L.A.

THE INK SPOTS: I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: It's Your Thing

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Shout (Part One)

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Summer Breeze

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: That Lady

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Twist And Shout

THE JACKSON FIVE: Dancing Machine

THE JACKSON FIVE: I Want You Back

BULL MOOSE JACKSON: Big Ten Inch Record

BULL MOOSE JACKSON: I Want A Bowlegged Woman

CHUCK JACKSON: Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)

THE JAM:  In The Midnight Hour

ELMORE JAMES: Shake Your Moneymaker

ETTA JAMES: At Last

ETTA JAMES: I'd Rather Go Blind

ETTA JAMES: Tell Mama

ETTA JAMES & SUGAR PIE DeSANTO: In The Basement (Part 1)

RICK JAMES: Bustin' Out

RICK JAMES: Super Freak

SKIP JAMES: I'm So Glad

LITTLE WILLIE JOHN: Fever

DOLORES JOHNSON: What Kind Of Man Are You

MARV JOHNSON: I Love The Way You Love

ROBERT JOHNSON: Traveling Riverside Blues

SYL JOHNSON: Take Me To The River

GLORIA JONES: Tainted Love 

LINDA JONES: Yesterday

QUINCY JONES: Takin' It To The Streets

SAX KARI FEATURING ELLA REED: Sweet Man

CHRIS KENNER: Land Of 1,000 Dances

CHRIS KENNER: She Can Dance

CHAKA KHAN: I Feel For You

KID THOMAS: Rockin' This Joint To-Nite

JUNIOR KIMBROUGH: I Gotta Try You Girl

EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING: Shame

THE KINKS: Cadillac

GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS: I Heard It Through The Grapevine

GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS: Let It Be

GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS: Morning, Noon And Night

GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS: On And On

GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS: Operator

JEAN KNIGHT: Mr. Big Stuff 

KOOL & THE GANG: Funky Stuff

KOOL & THE GANG: Jungle Boogie

KOOL & THE GANG: Ladies Night

PATTI LaBELLE & THE BLUEBELLS: I Sold My Heart To The Junkman

MAJOR LANCE: It's The Beat

TOBY LARK: Shake A Hand

BETTYE LAVETTE: My Train's Comin' In

BETTYE LAVETTE: You're A Man Of Words, I'm A Woman Of Action

BYRON LEE & THE DRAGONAIRES: Express Yourself

LAURA LEE: What a Man

LAZY LESTER: I'm A Lover Not A Fighter

BYRON LEE & THE DRAGONAIRES: Express Yourself

LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS: Baby Please Don't Go

LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS: Let's Move

LIPPA INC.: Funkytown

LITTLE ANNE: Lean Lanky Daddy

LITTLE CAESAR & THE CONSULS: (My Girl) Sloopy

LITTLE EVA: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

LITTLE EVA: He Is The Boy

LITTLE EVA: The Loco-Motion

LITTLE EVA: Stand By Me

LITTLE EVA: Up On The Roog

LITTLE RICHARD: Dance What You Wanna

LITTLE RICHARD: Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey (Goin' Back To Birmingham)

LITTLE RICHARD: I Saw Her Standing There

LITTLE RICHARD: Rip It Up

LITLE RICHARD: She's Got It

LITTLE WALTER: You're So Fine

THE LOADING ZONE: No More Tears

SHORTY LONG: Devil With A Blue Dress

BARBARA LYNN: Maybe We Can Slip Away
CHERYL LYNN: Got To Be Real

MACEO & ALL THE KING'S MEN: Funky Women

TAJ MAHAL: Statesboro Blues

THE MAIN INGREDIENT: Everybody Plays The Fool

THE MAIN INGREDIENT: Get Back

THE MAIN INGREDIENT: Summer Breeze

THE MAJESTICS: Hard Times

THE MAR-KAYS: Plantation Inn

BOBBY MARCHAN & THE TICK TOCKS: Snoopin' And Accusin'

BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS: Soul Shakedown Party

MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: Dancing In The Streets

MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave

MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: Nowhere To Run

MARTHA [REEVES] & THE VANDELLAS: Something

THE MARVELETTES: Beechwood 4-5789

THE MARVELETTES: Locking Up My Heart

THE MARVELETTES: Please Mr. Postman

BARBARA MASON: Yes, I'm Ready

NATHANIEL MAYER: Leave Me Alone

CURTIS MAYFIELD: Freddie's Dead

CURTIS MAYFIELD: Move On Up

THE MAYTALS: 54-46 Was My Number

MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS JR.: Ticket To Ride

DAN McLAMB: Dan McLamb & His 3-Legged Dog

GWEN McCRAE: Ain't Nothin' You Can Do

"STICK" McGHEE: Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee

BIG JAY McNEELY: Nervous, Man, Nervous

MEL & TIM: Backfield In Motion

THE METERS: Cissy Strut 

THE MIRACLES: Going To A Go-Go

THE MIRACLES: Shop Around

THE MIRACLES: The Tracks Of My Tears

THE MIRACLES: You've Really Got A Hold On Me

THE MOMENTS: Rocky Racoon

WES MONTGOMERY: Caravan

NEW BIRTH: The Long And Winding Road

MAXINE NIGHTINGALE: Right Back Where We Started From

THE NITE-LITERS: Afro Strut

THE OHIO PLAYERS: Fire

THE OHIO PLAYERS: Love Rollercoaster

THE OHIO UNTOUCHABLES: Love Is Amazing

GODWIN OMABUWA & HIS CASSANOVA DANDIES: Do The Afro Shuffle

ORCHESTRE VEVE: Venus

THE ORGANICS: Foot Stumping

OTIS & CARLA: Tramp

KELLY PACE: Rock Island Line

THE PARAGONS: The Tide Is High 

JR. & HIS SOULETTES: Momma Love Tequila

JUNIOR PARKER: Lady Madonna

JUNIOR PARKER: Taxman

SONNY PARKER: She Set My Soul On Fire

PARLIAMENT: Ride On

PARLIAMENT: Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up The Funk)

DORIS PAYNE: You Better Mind

ANN PEEBLES: Didn't Take Your Man

THE PERFORMERS: Mini Skirt

THE PERSUADERS: Thin Line Between Love & Hate 

ESTHER PHILLIPS: Home Is Where The Hatred Is

ESTHER PHILLIPS: Hurtin' House

LITTLE ESTHER PHILLIPS: Cherry Wine

LITTLE ESTHER PHILLIPS: Mojo Hannah

SANDRA PHILLIPS: I Wish I Had Known

WILSON PICKETT: Hey Jude

WILSON PICKETT: Land Of 1000 Dances

WILSON PICKETT: Soul Dance Number Three

THE POINTER SISTERS: Don't Try To Take The Fifth

DAVID PORTER: Help!

BILLY PRESTON: Billy's Bag

BILLY PRESTON: Blackbird

BILLY PRESTON: Eight Days A Week

BILLY PRESTON: Get Back

LLOYD PRICE: Oooh-Oooh-Oooh

LLOYD PRICE: Stagger Lee

LLOYD PRICE & HIS BAND: Rock 'n' Roll Dance

PRINCE: Jungle Love

RED PRYSOCK: Hand Clappin'

JOEY RAMONE & GENERAL JOHNSON: Rockaway Beach

JAMES RAY: Got My Mind Set On You

OTIS REDDING: Can't Turn You Loose

OTIS REDDING: A Change Is Gonna Come

OTIS REDDING: Day Tripper

OTIS REDDING: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

OTIS REDDING: Louie Louie

OTIS REDDING: Mr. Pitiful

OTIS REDDING: Respect

OTIS REDDING: (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay

ROY REDMOND: Good Day Sunshine

LULA REED: Rock Love

SIR MACK RICE: Mustang Sally

JMMY RICKS & THE RAVES: Daddy Rollin' Stone

JANE RIVER: Blatant Latent

THE RIVINGTONS: I Love You Always

THE ROBINS: Riot In Cell Block No. 9

ALVIN ROBINSON: Searchin'

SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES: I Heard It Through The Grapevine

VICKI SUE ROBINSON: Turn The Beat Around

THE ROLLING STONES: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

THE RONETTES: Be My Baby

THE RONETTES: I Can Hear Music

DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES: Love Child

DOCTOR ROSS: Cat Squirrel

DAVID RUFFIN: I Want You Back

DAVID RUFFIN: I've Lost Everything I've Ever Loved

DAVID RUFFIN: No Matter Where

RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN: You Got The Love

SAM & DAVE: Hold On, I'm Comin'

SAM & DAVE: I Thank You

SAM & DAVE: You Don't Know Like I Know

FREDDIE SCOTT: Are You Lonely For Me Baby

MABEL SCOTT: Disgusted

GIL SCOTT-HERON: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

THE SHARPEES: Do The 45

MARLENA SHAW: Liberation Conversation

RYAN SHAW: Do The 45

ROSCOE SHELTON: Question

ROSCOE SHELTON: Running For My Life

THE SHIRELLES: Boys

SHIRLEY & LEE: Let The Good Times Roll

THE SHOWMEN: 39-21-46

NINA SIMONE: Here Comes The Sun

NINA SIMONE: Love Me Or Leave Me

NINA SIMONE: Revolution (Part 1)

NINA SIMONE: Revolution (Parts 1 and 2)

NINA SIMONE: Save Me

NINA SIMONE: See-Line Woman

THE SKULLSNAPS: I'm Your Pimp

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE: Dance To The Music

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE: Family Affair

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE: Hot Fun In The Summertime 

THE SMALL FACES: Shake

HUEY "PIANO" SMITH & THE CLOWNS: Rocking Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu

HUEY "PIANO" SMITH & THE CLOWNS: Sea Cruise

LONNIE LISTON SMITH & THE COSMIC ECHOES: A Chance For Peace

SMOKEY SMOTHERS: Come On Rock, Little Girl

THE SOUL BROTHERS: Mustang Sally

SOUL BROTHERS SIX: Some Kind Of Wonderful

THE SOUL SEEKERS: Something's Got A Hold On Me

RONNIE SPECTOR & THE E STREET BAND: Say Goodbye To Hollywood

BENNY SPELLMAN: Fortune Teller

BENNY SPELLMAN: Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette)

THE SPINNERS: Magic In The Moonlight

THE SPINNERS: The Rubberband Man

THE STAPLE SINGERS: I'll Take You There

THE STAPLE SINGERS: Respect Yourself

EDWIN STARR: Agent Double O Soul

EDWIN STARR: My Sweet Lord

THE STEROES: I Really Love You

STEVE STOECKEL, JOEL TINNEL, ALEX TINNEL & BRUCE GORDON: Dana's Funky Soul Pit

BARRETT STRONG: Money (Thats What I Want)

DONNA SUMMER: I Feel Love

SUN RA: Saturn

THE SUPREMES: Can't Buy Me Love

THE SUPREMES: Love, I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good

THE SUPREMES: You Can't Do That

THE SUPREMES: You Can't Hurry Love

THE SUPREMES: A World Without Love

BETTYE SWANN: The Heartache Is Gone

SYREETA: She's Leaving Home

T-MODEL FORD: I'm Insane

TARHEEL SLIM: Number 9 Train

A TASTE OF HONEY: Boogie Oogie Oogie

HOUND DOG TAYLOR & THE HOUSEROCKERS: Give Me Back My Wig

LITTLE JOHNNY TAYLOR: Part Time Love

THE TEMPTATIONS: Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) 

THE TEMPTATIONS: Law Of The Land

THE TEMPTATIONS: My Girl

THE TEMPTATIONS: Psychedelic Shack

JOE TEX: Show Me

SISTER ROSETTA THARPE: This Train

CARLA THOMAS: B-A-B-Y

CARLA THOMAS: Gee Whiz

CARLA THOMAS: My Man Believes Me

DON THOMAS: Come On Train

JOE THOMAS: Page Boy Shuffle

IRMA THOMAS: Ruler Of My Heart

IRMA THOMAS: Time Is On My Side

JAMO THOMAS & THE PARTY BROTHERS ORCHESTRA: I Spy (For The FBI)

RUFUS THOMAS: Do The Funky Chicken

RUFUS THOMAS: Itch And Scratch (Part 1)

BIG MAMA THORNTON: Hound Dog

BIG MAMA THORNTON: They Call Me Big Mama

TINARIWEN: Tenhert

THE T.M.G.'S: The Hatch

TOOTS & THE MAYTALS: Funky Kingston

TOOTS & THE MAYTALS: Pressure Drop

THE TOP NOTES: Shake It Up, Baby

THE TRAAMPS: Disco Inferno

ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION: More, More, More

TOMMY TUCKER: Hi-Heel Sneakers

IKE TURNER PRESENTS THE FAMILY VIBES: Garbage Man

IKE TURNER'S KINGS OF RHYTHM (FEATURING JACKIE BRENTSON): You've Got To Lose

IKE & TINA TURNER: A Fool In Love

IKE & TINA TURNER: Gonna Find Me A Substitute

IKE & TINA TURNER: He's The One

IKE & TINA TURNER: I Can't Believe What You Say

IKE & TINA TURNER: It's Gonna Work Out Fine

IKE & TINA TURNER: Proud Mary

IKE & TINA TURNER: River Deep Mountain High

IKE & TINA TURNER: She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

STANLEY TURRENTINE: Spooky

THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH: Mama, I Got A Brand New Thing

THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH: Smiling Faces Sometimes

THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH: With A Little Help From My Friends

THE UNTOUCHABLES: Tighten Up

PHIL UPCHURCH COMBO: You Can't Sit Down

THE UPSETTERS: Jaywalking

THE VALENTINES: Breakaway

DON VARNER: Mojo Mama

SARAH VAUGHAN: Smooth Operator

THE VELVELETTES: He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'

THE VELVELETTES: Needle In A Haystack

THE VIBRATIONS: And I Love Her

THE VIBRATIONS: Love In Them There Hills

JUNIOR WALKER & THE ALL STARS: (I'm A) Road Runner

WEE WILLIE WALKER: Ticket To Ride

WAR: Me And Baby Brother

BILLY WARD & HIS DOMINOES: Sixty Minute Man

BILLY WARD & HIS DOMINOES: That's What You're Doin' To Me

DEE DEE WARWICK: She Didn't Know (She Kept On Talking)

DIONNE WARWICK: Do You Know The Way To San Jose

DIONNE WARWICK: We Can Work It Out

DIONNE WARWICK & SPINNERS: Then Came You

BABY WASHINGTON: I Don't Know

MUDDY WATERS: Let's Spend The Night Together

MUDDY WATERS: Rollin' Stone

MUDDY WATERS: Tom Cat

JOHNNY "GUITAR" WATSON: Gangster Of Love

YOUNG JOHN WATSON: Space Guitar

MARY WELLS: My Guy

MARY WELLS: Please Please Me

WEST COAST REVIVAL: Feelin' Alright

KIM WESTON: Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)

ELTON & BETTY WHITE: A Jelly Behind Woman Bloews My Mind

THE WHO: Dancing In The Street

WILD CHERRY: Play That Funky Music

LARRY WILLIAMS: Bad Boy

LARRY WILLIAMS: She Said Yeah

LARRY WILLIAMS: Slow Down

SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON: Polly Put The Kettle On

JIMMY WILLIS: Soul Power

AL WILSON: The Snake

CANDY WILSON: The Last Bad Habit

JACKIE WILSON: Doggin' Around

JACKIE WILSON: Lonely Teardrops

JACKIE WILSON: (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher

BILL WITHERS: Let It Be

STEVIE WONDER: Uptight (Everything's Alright)

STEVIE WONDER: We Can Work It Out

EDDIE FLOYD: Knock On Wood 

BETTY WRIGHT: Clean Up Woman

BETTY WRIGHT: Let Me Be Your Lovemaker

CHARLES WRIGHT & THE WATTS 103rd STREET RHYTHM BAND: Express Yourself

THE YARDBIRDS: A Certain Girl

BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO: Hot Tamale Baby

Dana's Funky Soul Pit is GO!

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 # 1352: DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT!

The annual Dana's Funky Soul Pit is always one of our most popular shows, and deservedly so. Dana does an outstanding job selecting and assembling a fascinating program of soul, R & B, funk, blues, disco, and rock 'n' roll nuggets, mixing the familiar and the obscure to compelling effect. I'm a fan!

Dana divided this year's Soul Pit into three distinct parts: Disco Night, King Records Tribute, and Artist Spotlights. Each section is great, though my 1970s teen pop-punk self would be disgusted with me for digging Disco Night. But as I wrote in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

"...In the late '70s, disco and punk were supposed to be at war with each other. As a self-professed punk rocker in that era, I can attest that, yeah, punks didn't like disco, and the bumpin'-n-hustlin' set was appalled by the loud and fast noise my people favored. Hatfields and Capulets, meet McCoys and Montagues. Never mind the fact that the mainstream rock crowd held both punk and disco in nearly equal disdain; this was war!

"Except that it wasn't. I'm skeptical of the notion that many of the Saturday Night Fevered ever took much interest in the Damned or the Dead Boys, but some among the new wave brigade did eventually allow their ears and minds to be a bit more open to non-pogo dance music, to the beat of dat ole debbil disco. Maybe it was just me, but I was a pop fan anyway; my intense dislike of disco music evolved into occasional tolerance, and tolerance evolved into a sporadic realization that some of the records weren't bad...

"...Later on, as the know-nothing Disco Sucks movement built its flammable foundation upon a bedrock of racism and homophobia, I began to wonder if I'd chosen the wrong side. The loudest parties chortling at the notion of smashing mirrored disco balls and stoking a bonfire of Saturday Night Fever soundtrack LPs were often just meatheads, the advance guard of reactionaries commencing the implementation of mourning in America. Me? I was a power-poppin' punk, and the Disco Sucks fascists hated me, too. Fuck them. I'd rather hear "Disco Inferno" than 'Hotel California' or 'Cat Scratch Fever' any freakin' day of the week. Burn those records instead. I heard somebody say, 'Burn baby burn!' Yeah, I'd rather hear the Trammps...."

And that is still true. Burn, baby, burn. Wail, baby, wail. Dance and sing, sweat and proclaim. This is what's going on. Welcome back to Dana's Funky Soul Pit.

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 # 1352: 9/6/2026: DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT!

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

PART 1: Disco Night

DONNA SUMMER: I Feel Love (Casablanca, Summer: The Original Hits)

RICK JAMES: Super Freak (Motown, Icon)

VICKI SUE ROBINSON: Turn The Beat Around (Universal, VA: Disco Fever 2)

CHERYL LYNN: Got To Be Real (Sony, VA: Disco Nights)

GLORIA GAYNOR: I Will Survive (Polydor, Love Tracks)

MAXINE NIGHTINGALE: Right Back Where We Started From (Universal, VA: Funky Town - 20 Hot Disco Grooves)

--

EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING: Shame (PolyGram, VA: That's Disco 60 All-Time Classics)

LIPPS INC.: Funkytown (Universal, VA: Funky Town - 20 Hot Disco Grooves)

ROSE ROYCE: Car Wash (Universal, VA: Funky Town - 20 Hot Disco Grooves)

THE TRAAMPS: Disco Inferno (Rhino, Rhino Hi-Five: The Tramps)

THE SPINNERS: The Rubberband Man (Rhino, The Very Best Of Spinners)

A TASTE OF HONEY: Boogie Oogie Oogie (Universal, VA: Funky Town - 20 Hot Disco Grooves)

--

GQ: Disco Nights (Rock-Freak) (Hip-O, VA: Disco 54: Funkin' On The Floor)

HEATWAVE: Boogie Nights (Sony, VA: The Best Of Disco)

KOOL AND THE GANG: Ladies Night (Spectrum, Get Down On It: The Collection)

AL GREEN: Take Me To The River (Capitol, The Definitive Greatest Hits)

OHIO PLAYERS: Love Rollercoaster (Shout! Factory, VA: Old School Soul Party)

CARL CARLTON: She's A Bad Mama (She's Built, She's Stacked) (Experience Music Project: Experience Music Project Presents Funk Blast! A Collection Of Classic Funk)

--

PART 2: King Records Tribute

ROY BYRD: Rockin' With Fes (King, VA: The King R & B Box Set)

DAVE BARTHOLOMEW: My Ding-A-Ling (Collectables, VA: The Very Best Of King-Federal-Deluxe Volume One)

ROY BROWN: Rockin' At Midnight (King, VA: King Anthology Of Risque Blues)

WYNONIE HARRIS: All She Wants To Do Is Rock (Collectables, VA: The Very Best Of King-Federal-Deluxe Volume One)

JOE THOMAS: Page Boy Shuffle (Playback, VA: Chicken Shack Boogie Volume II)

TINY BRADSHAW: The Train Kept A-Rollin' (Rhino, VA: Jump, Jive & Swing!)

--

BILLY WARD AND HIS DOMINOES: Sixty Minute Man (Varese Sarabande, The Essential Masters: Billy Ward & His Dominoes Featuring Clyde McPhatter)

JOHNNY "GUITAR" WATSON: Gangster Of Love (Collectables, VA: The Very Best Of King-Federal-Deluxe Volume Two)

YOUNG JOHN WATSON: Space Guitar (Varese Vintage, VA: Good Rockin' Tonight: 25 Essential Rock & Rhythm Classics)

THE CHANTERS: No, No, No (Varese Vintage, VA: Good Rockin' Tonight: 25 Essential Rock & Rhythm Classics)

LITTLE WILLIE JOHN: Fever (Collectables, VA: The Very Best Of King-Federal-Deluxe Volume Two)

BIG JAY McNEELY: Nervous, Man, Nervous (Ace, VA: Rhythm Riot!)

BILL DOGGETT: Ram-Bunk-Shush (King, VA: The King R & B Box Set)

LULA REED: Rock Love (Collectables, VA: The Very Best Of King-Federal-Deluxe Volume One)

--

SMOKEY SMOTHERS: Come On Rock, Little Girl (King, VA: The King R & B Box Set)

BULL MOOSE JACKSON: Big Ten Inch Record (King, VA: King Anthology Of Risque Blues)

THE "5" ROYALES: Think (Varese Vintage, VA: Good Rockin' Tonight: 25 Essential Rock & Rhythm Classics)

BILLY WARD AND HIS DOMINOES: That's What You're Doin' To Me (Varese Sarabande, The Essential Masters: Billy Ward & His Dominoes Featuring Clyde McPhatter)

BULL MOOSE JACKSON: I Want A Bowlegged Woman (Collectables, VA: The Very Best Of King-Federal-Deluxe Volume Two)

LITTLE ESTHER PHILLIPS: Cherry Wine (Collectables, VA: The Very Best Of King-Federal-Deluxe Volume Two)

MABEL SCOTT: Disgusted (King, VA: The King R & B Box Set)

BILL DOGGETT: Honky Tonk (Part 2) (Varese Sarabande, VA: Rock & Roll - The First 50 Years - The '50s - 25 Top 10 Hits)

--

PART 3: Artist Spotlights

LITTLE EVA: Up On The Roof (Not Now Music, VA: 100 teen Idol Hits)

LITTLE EVA: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (Rhino, The Loco-Motion)

LITTL EVA: He Is The Boy (Soul Jam, VA: The Gerry Goffin & Carole King Songbook - Will You Love Me Tomorrow)

NINA SIMONE: Save Me (Bluebird, VA: Flying Funk)

NINA SIMONE: See-Line Woman (Spectrum, See-Line Woman: The Best Of Nina Simone)

NINA SIMONE: Revolution, Pt. 1 (MOJO, VA: Beatlemania / Volume 2 [An All-American Tribute To The Fab Four])

--

GARY U.S. BONDS: Minnie The Moocher (Jasmine, Dance 'Til A Quarter To Three: The First Two Albums & Greatest Hits 1960-1962)

GARY U.S. BONDS: It's Only Love (Razor & Tie, Dedication)

GARY U.S. BONDS: I Wanta Holler (But The Town's Too Small) (Varese Sarabande, The Very Best Of Gary U.S. Bonds)

LLOYD PRICE: Stagger Lee (Acrobat, Mr. Personality - The R&B HIts (1952-60)_

LLOYD PRICE: Oooh-Oooh-Oooh (Acrobat, Mr. Personality - The R&B HIts (1952-60))

LLOYD PRICE AND HIS BAND: Rock 'n' Roll Dance (Specialty, single)

DAVID RUFFIN: I Want You Back (Hip-O Select, David Ruffin--The Unreleased Album)

DAVID RUFFIN: No Matter Where (motown, The Ultimate Collection)

DAVID RUFFIN: I've Lost Everything I've Ever Loved (Motown, The Ultimate Collection)

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MARVIN GAYE: Hitch Hike (Tamla, That Stubborn Kinda' Fella)

MARVIN GAYE: What's Going On (Tamla, What's Going On)

MARVIN GAYE: Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) (Tamla, What's Going On)

DIONNE WARWICK AND SPINNERS: Then Came You (Rhino, THE SPINNERS: The Very Best Of Spinners)