THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Fun Facts

Yeah, we're pretty jazzed that This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl will hit show # 850 this coming Sunday, December 4th. It'll be a fitting tribute to whatever the hell it is that Dana and I do--a Shindig!, Hullabaloo, Bandstand, and Where The Action Is!, too--and it streams live this Sunday from 9 to Midnight Eastern, exclusively at www.westcottradio.org

With TIRnRR # 850 now looming large in our legend, here's a passel o' fun facts about how we got here:

FIRST EPISODE: TIRnRR # 1 aired on WXXE-FM Fenner/Syracuse on December 27th, 1998. We have been in that same Sunday night 9 to Midnight slot ever since (though we've missed a few of 'em along the way).

FIRST SONG WE EVER PLAYED: "I Won't Let You Let Me Go" by The Poptarts.

SECOND SONG: "Daydream Believer" by Shonen Knife.

THIRD SONG:  "Regional Girl" by The Monkees. Now, let's move on from that first show....

ALL-TIME MOST-PLAYED ACT: The Beatles, by far.

ALL-TIME MOST-PLAYED SONG: "September Gurls" by Big Star, which just this year edged past our perennial # 1, "Why" by The Stallions.

MOST FREQUENT FEATURED ACT: The Monkees, hands down. The Monkees have been a TIRnRR Featured Act eight times, and that's not counting the times we featured Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, or Peter Tork. I guess we owe Micky Dolenz a turn. The Flashcubes are second with 6 times, and John Lennon is third with 5 times, then Paul McCartney with 4. The Beatles, The Dave Clark Five, George Harrison, The Kinks, and KISS have each been featured three times. The Kinks remain the only act to ever take over an entire TIRnRR, and they've done so twice. We have devoted entire shows to The Beatles, The Flashcubes, and The Monkees, but each of those shows also included relevant tracks by other artists.

THEME SHOWS: We're Your Friends For Now, the 1992 predecessor of TIRnRR, used to specialize in theme shows, but TIRnRR has also done a number of theme shows, too. Without checking the archives, my memory tells me we did TIRnRR theme shows centered on covers, tribute albums, Nuggets and '60s garage punk psychedelia, Ken Sharp's power pop books Play On!, B-sides, 1965, rock 'n' roll soundtrack music, live recordings, Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery (acts that Dana or I saw live), female singers, comic books, the music of Syracuse and Central New York, and a series of decade-specific theme shows celebrating the '50s, the '60s, the '70s, the '80s, the '90s, and the '00s. In addition, Dana's Funky Soul Pit and the Christmas show are annual traditions on TIRnRR. And Dana has a terrific idea for a new theme show, which we'll try to execute in early 2017.

FIRST WEBCAST SONG: "Sound Of The Radio" by Screen Test.

LAST SONG PLAYED ON THE OLD SYRACUSE COMMUNITY RADIO WEBCAST: I can't tell you what it was, but believe me: it was rude and angry.

FIRST SONG PLAYED ON WESTCOTT RADIO: "Saying Goodbye" by The Muffs, dedicated to Syracuse Community Radio. Our split from SCR in 2007 was not amicable, and I was pissed. We later kissed and made up, and became friends with benefits--appropriate, because they certainly screwed us. We repaid the favor by quietly taking over the outfit. "They" have become "We," and we have no intention of ever again kicking ourselves to the curb.

THE SHOWS THAT DIDN'T COUNT: Sure, Sunday is TIRnRR # 850, but we've also done a bunch of shows that don't figure into that number. The first such show was our sixth-month anniversary celebration, which we counted separately (purely for accounting purposes). Dana occasionally does a solo show in between our Christmas and Countdown shows; since those aren't included in the year-end tally, we call 'em The Many Moods Of Dana Bonn and consider them separate from TIRnRR. Similarly, I did one solo show called CC's Time Machine, and Dana co-hosted The Night Before Boxing Day with my daughter Meghan one year; neither of those count as an episode of TIRnRR, either. Finally, our live webcast with John Wicks and Paul Collins was a special edition, and not one of the 849 TIRnRRs to date.

GUEST HOSTS: Our Who Needs Dana & Carl? Guest Host promotion, wherein generous folks who donate at least $100 to Spark Syracuse earn the opportunity to program the music for an episode of TIRnRR, has been an enormous success. Our very first Guest Host preferred to remain anonymous, and we've had a number of other friends and listeners serve as able Guest Hosts since then.

THE SHOW'S ORIGINAL TITLE: As we were on our way to the studio for that first show on 12/27/98, the show was to be called The Kids Are Alright, and had been announced as such by Eric Strattman, whose own show Unsupervised, I Hit My Head preceded ours. Our intended theme song was a cover of The Who's titular power pop classic, performed by The Pleasers. BUT! I only had that song on a 45, and Dana informed me en route that the studio's turntable wasn't functional. So, a sudden switch to a Ramones CD for our theme song, and This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio was born.

NOTABLE REASONS FOR CANCELLING SHOWS:  Technical issues are a frequent hobgoblin for the delicate little flower that is Westcott Radio; these have included frazzled razzafrazzin' equipment at the studio, and webcast cooties downtown. Inclement weather--it snows a little bit in Syracuse, every once in a while--have forced us to forego the show only a handful of times. We took one Sunday night off in 2012 to go see The Monkees; we regret nothing. When one of us is ill or has a scheduling conflict, the other one usually does the show solo; Dana's done more solo shows than I have, but I've done my share, too. But the most notable cause for killing a week's scheduled show was one Sunday night in...2005, I think? Another car slammed into us at an intersection on Westcott Street, and kept right on going. The miscreant driver didn't stop to leave his card, but he did leave his license plate laying in the street; we were happy to turn that plate over to a nice police officer, secure in the knowledge it could be reunited with its rightful owner.

TIRnRR CDs:  We did three of them! The first two were released by JAM Recordings, while Kool Kat Musik took over for Volume 3. They remain among our proudest achievements in doing this little mutant radio show. Will there ever be a Volume 4? Keep watching the skies. And keep listening to these guys: this is what rock 'n' roll radio sounds like on Sunday nights in Syracuse each week.

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The Ghost Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Past

This Sunday, December 4th, will be the 850th edition of our little mutant radio show This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. To start gettin' set, let's reach back into the archives to this bit of hype from seven years ago, trumpeting the imminent presumed triumph of TIRnRR # 500:




LOCAL ROCK 'N' ROLL INTERNET SHOW HITS # 500

Syracuse's long-running Internet radio show This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl will celebrate its 500th episode on Sunday night September 27th with a three-hour blowout of favorite tunes from its first 499 shows. Billed without humility (and only a little exaggeration) as The Best Three Hours Of Radio On the Whole Friggin' Planet, This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio streams live every Sunday night from 9 to Midnight. exclusively at www.westcottradio.org.

From its debut on December 27, 1998 to today, This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio has been an unlikely success story. Co-hosted by local artist, photographer, and musician DANA BONN and freelance rock 'n' roll journalist CARL CAFARELLI, this should-be-obscure show has somehow found an audience across the country and even around the world: an audience of avid fans of rockin' pop music, eager to find some form of rock 'n' roll radio to believe in. TIRnRR's nominal format is "power pop," the catchy, melodic form of high-energy rock 'n' roll influenced by THE BEATLES, THE KINKS, and THE WHO, and exemplified by BADFINGER, THE RASPBERRIES, and THE RAMONES, among many others. But power pop is just the jumping-off point, and Dana & Carl are just as likely to mix in the the music of soul giant SOLOMON BURKE, underground icons THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, country legends GEORGE JONES and CONWAY TWITTY, rap stars OUTKAST, essential rock 'n' roll from CHUCK BERRY, the left-of-the-dial appeal of THE PIXIES, the sensational sound of THE SEX PISTOLS, and whatever cool tune--new or old, obscure or familiar--might catch their fancy. It's ALL pop music, intended to be part of "a rockin' pop/punk/soul/bubblegum Shangri-La, where TOOTS & THE MAYTALS play poker with THE RAMONES, LITTLE RICHARD arm-wrestles LIZ PHAIR, BIG STAR is a household name, and a record by some group you'v never even heard of can change your life, or at least send you on an interstate dancing spree."

Along the way, This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio has inspired two well-received compilation CDs, both released commercially by the JAM Recordings label in Michigan, with tracks contributed by artists such as '60s hitmakers THE COWSILLS, power pop icons JOHN WICKS & THE RECORDS, and local artists SCREEN TEST, THE KENNEDYS, TIM ANTHONY, THE FLASHCUBES, and BEAUTY SCENE OUTLAWS, the latter two of whom even wrote and recorded new tracks specifically about TIRnRR itself ("Carl [You Da Man]" and "Carl Cafarelli," respectively). Dana & Carl have hosted in-studio appearances by JOHN WICKS & PAUL COLLINS, JON NOTARTHOMAS & AIMEE BOBRUK, ADAM MARSLAND, FRISBIE, RAY PAUL, ADAM & CRAIG MARSHALL, and author COLETTE SHAW, and promoted local live shows by THE BEVIS FROND, CHICKLET, COCKEYED GHOST, MANNIX, ROBBIE RIST & KENNY HOWES, DIGBY, BEAUTY SCENE OUTLAWS, THE FALLEN ARCHIES, TIM ANTHONY, and KYLE VINCENT.

But the most startling illustration of TIRnRR's unexpected impact came at the end of 2006, when the show's then-host Syracuse Community Radio announced that it would cease its webcast. Responding to Dana & Carl's plea for support, TIRnRR fans stepped up with over $2000 in contributions--at the height of the Christmas season, no less--to effectively save the show and continue webcasting as the newly-created Westcott Radio, where it has continued since then. This outpouring of support for TIRnRR--which one fan compared to the climax of the film It's A Wonderful Life, where a community pools its resources on Christmas Eve to help beloved community figure George Bailey--stunned even the usually-jaded Dana & Carl, who continue to marvel that what they self-mockingly dubbed The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet has, incongruously, found so many folks who agree with that billing.

Carl calls it "a mutant hybrid of the adventurous spirit of underground radio and the giddy rush of AM Top 40." Dana calls it "The Joy Of Radio." As This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio approaches its 500th show, Dana & Carl vow to face the future with whiter teeth, fresher breath, and a pleasantly stubborn faith that this really IS The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet. An interstate dancing spree sounds like a mighty fine idea indeed.
--

Well, I'm convinced!

Since the landmark TIRnRR # 500, we've continued to stumble along the same path as before, blindly secure in the certainty that we're doing perfect pop radio the way it was meant to be done. We've released one more TIRnRR compilation CD (in 2013, on Kool Kat Musik), and we're getting ready to return to terrestrial radio on the all-new SPARK SYRACUSE. Why change now? Maturity wouldn't suit us anyway.

For kicks, here's a look back at what we played on TIRnRR # 500, September 27th, 2009:

RAMONES	Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?	Rhino, End Of The Century
SCREEN TEST	Sound Of The Radio	JAM, VA:  This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Volume 2
FLASHING ASTONISHERS	Period Exclamatory	JAM, VA:  This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Volume 1
ANDERSONS!	From The Get-Go	Lime Vinyl, Separated At Birth
3D	Temptation	Big Radio, Universal Conquest
DANA AND CARL	You Be Me For A While And I'll Be You	unreleased
KISS	Calling Dr. Love	Mercury, Rock And Roll Over
CONCRETES	You Can't Hurry Love	Astralwerks, The Concretes
RAMONES	Blitzkrieg Bop	Rhino, Ramones
BEATLES	Hey Bulldog	Apple, Yellow Submarine Songtrack
GO HOME PRODUCTIONS	Daytrip To Heaven	www.gohomeproductions.co.uk
MANNIX	Highway Lines	www.mannixrock.com, Come To California
DANA AND CARL	Elvis Season!	unreleased
MARY LOU LORD	Aim Low	Kill Rock Stars, Mary Lou Lord/Sean Na Na
GROOVIE GHOULIES	Carly Simon	Lookout!, VA:  Lookout!  Freakout!
BAY CITY ROLLERS	Wouldn't You LIke It	Bell, Wouldn't You Like It
ASTROPUPPEES	Over Her Head	Hightone, You Win The Bride
STYX	Kiss Your Ass Goodbye	Sanctuary, Cyclorama
MERRYMAKERS	I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better	Not Lame, VA:  Full Circle
DANA AND CARL	East Side Story	unreleased
FINKERS	Last Thing On My Mind	JAM, VA:  This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Volume 1
DROWNERS	While My Guitar Gently Weeps	Jealousy, VA:  He Was Fab
JOHNNY THUNDERS AND THE HEARTBREAKERS	I Love You	Jungle, L.A.M.F.
TODD RUNDGREN	Couldn't I Just Tell You	Rhino, Something/Anything?
P76	Let's Get Back To Where We Started	Zip, Into The Sun
TROGGS	Our Love Will Still Be There	Fontana, Archeology
POWERPUFF GIRLS	Love Makes The World Go Round	Warner Brothers, Powerpuff Bluff DVD
MAGNETIC FIELDS	I Don't Want To Get Over You	Merge, 69 Love Songs
CHUCK BERRY	Promised Land	MCA, The Anthology
CRICKLE	Place In My Heart	ROIR, VA:  Garage Sale
PIPER DOWNS	10 Speed	Doorslammer, Varying Degrees Of Failure And Tunelessness
COCKEYED GHOST	I Hate Rock 'n' Roll	Big Deal, The Scapegoat Factory
DANA AND CARL	A Dream Of Partridges	unreleased
PURRBOX	Punk Rock	LoveFest, PurrBox
ORGONE BOX	World Revolves	Minus Zero, The Orgone Box
SEX CLARK 5	Fool I Was	Skyclad, Antedium
FOOLED BY APRIL	Oh Dana	LunaSea, VA:  A Tribute To Big Star
FLASHCUBES	Carl (You Da Man)	JAM, VA:  This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Volume 1
MOPTOPS	Christine	Not Lame, VA:  Full Circle
CATHOLIC GIRLS	Should Have Been Mine	Cinema, Meet The Catholic Girls
LOLAS	Sticker	JAM, VA:  This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Volume 1
COWSILLS	She Said To Me	JAM, VA:  This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Volume 2
KENNY HOWES AND THE YEAH!	Sheila, She	TallBoy, Until Dawn
MARLOWES	Pilgrim Soul	Shiny Fly, Nuclear Suitcase
HOLE	Heaven Tonight	DGC, Celebrity Skin
FRISBIE	Comes N Goes	Hear Diagonally, Period.
COTTON MATHER	My Before And After	Copper, Kontiki
ANNY CELSI	Empty Hangers	Ragazza, Little Black Dress & Other Stories
SPONGETONES	(My Girl) Maryanne	Loaded Goat, Always Carry On
EYTAN MIRSKY	Don't Bother Me	Jealousy, VA:  He Was Fab
KINKS	Everybody's Gonna Be Happy	Rhino, Greatest Hits
MR. ENCRYPTO	The Last Time [a cappella]	JAM, VA:  This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Volume 2
LA'S	There She Goes	Rhino, VA:  Children Of Nuggets
OHIO EXPRESS	Had To Be Me	Cameo, Beg, Borrow And Steal
GANTS	I Wonder	Psychic Circle, VA:  The Electric Coffee House
HELLO HELEN	Fall's Far Away	JAM, VA:  This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Volume 1
SINGLES	He Can Go, You Can't Stay	Rainbow Quartz, Better Than Before
BEAUTY SCENE OUTLAWS	Carl Cafarelli	JAM, VA:  This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Volume 2
ONLY ONES	Another Girl, Another Planet	Rhino, VA:  DIY:  Teenage Kicks
STALLIONS	Why	Junk, Hey Baby, It's The Stallions
SHADOWS	Wonderful Land	Scamp, Shadows Are Go!

  

Nope. We ain't changed at all.

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This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 849

Two weeks ago, we made our first attempt at This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 849, but internet woes 'n' kerfrazzles forced us to postpone the show. We tried again last week, just as the good Lord above chose to casually toss about two feet of snow upon sorry little Syracuse. Cursed? Us? Nah. It just fires up our simple-minded enthusiasm. We're either dedicated, or just plain stupid. Possibly both.

Third time's a charm, so here we are at last with the ol' 8-4-9, featuring new music from Maxi Dunn, The Bottle Kids, and The Maladaptive Solution, a TIRnRR debut from Orbis Max, new archival wonders from Lisa Mychols and Terry Draper, and an invigmoratin' selection of TIRnRR Fave Raves old and new. And the whole thing culminated in our celebratory TOP OF THE TOPS COUNTDOWN!

Vas is das "Top Of The Tops Countdown?" Well! TIRnRR True Believer Fritz Van Leaven gathered up all of the 20 songs that have held or shared the # 1 spot in our year-end countdowns since we began this little mutant radio show back in 1998, and ranked 'em all according to how many times we've played them overall throughout the course of TIRnRR # 1-848. The results appear below; congratulations to our new # 1 of # 1s, and now officially our most played track ever: "September Girls" by Big Star.  Yep. The Greatest Record Ever Made!

NEXT WEEK: our pal Dave Murray steps up to pay tribute to the glory, the splendor, the wonder of Dana & Carl on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO # 850!!  Be here. We'll try to be here, too. And this is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on a Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl streams live on Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, exclusively on www.westcottradio.org

TIRnRR # 849: 11/27/16

THE RAMONES: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (Rhino, End Of The Century)
--
THE KINKS: Better Things (Velvel, Give The People What They Want)
THE MONKEES: You Told Me (Rhino, Headquarters)
THE MONKEES: Birth Of An Accidental Hipster (Rhino, Good Times!)
ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA: Do Ya (Epic, Playlist)
TERRY DRAPER: In Germany (TerryTunes, Window On The World)
KLAATU: California Jam (Klaatunes, 3:47 e.s.t.)
--
LISA MYCHOLS: Don't Forget Your Man (lisamychols.bandcamp.com, In This City)
THE GEORGIA SATELLITES: Don't Pass Me By (Elektra, Essentials)
BADFINGER: No Matter What (Apple, No Dice)
THE WHO: I Can See For Miles (MCA, The Kids Are Alright)
SUZI QUATRO: Tear Me Apart (Razor & Tie, The Wild One)
JOHNNY CASH & JUNE CARTER CASH: If I Were A Carpenter (Columbia, Playlist)
--
MAXI DUNN: September Sun, October Morning (unreleased)
THE RONETTES: Be My Baby (Sony, Playlist)
ORBIS MAX: You May Be The One (Orbis Max, Orbis Max & Friends)
MUDDY WATERS: Mannish Boy (MCA, Electric Mud)
ONE LIKE SON: Punk Rock Prom Queen (Body Thief, New American Gothic)
RAY PAUL: Pretty Flamingo (Permanent Press, Whimsicality)
--
THE BOTTLE KIDS: Let Me In On This Action (unreleased)
SQUEEZE: Farfisa Beat [alternate version] (A & M, Argybargy)
THE MALADAPTIVE SOLUTION: Ontology (Form And Content) (themaladaptivesolution.bandcamp.com)
FANTOMES: I Wanna Be Your Dog (Soul Jazz, VA: Les Punks: The French Connection)
1.4.5.: Your Own World (Beautiful Sounds, Rhythm n' Booze)
MARIE ET LES GARCONS: Rien A Dire (Soul Jazz, VA: Les Punks: The French Connection)
--
THE POPTARTS: I Won't Let You Let Me Go (PlumTone, Fresh...Out Of The Toaster)
THE BANGLES: Real World [demo version] (Omnivore, Ladies And Gentlemen...The Bangles!)
SCREEN TEST: Sound Of The Radio (JAM, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 2)
JIMI HENDRIX: Freedom (Experience Hendrix, Blue Wild Angel)
MARY LOU LORD: Aim Low (Kill Rock Stars, Mary Lou Lord/Sean Na Na)
THE BEVIS FROND: He'd Be A Diamond (Fire, New River Head)
THE SPONGETONES: (My Girl) Maryanne (Loaded Goat, Always Carry On)
LYRES: Help You, Ann (Matador, On Fyre)
COTTON MATHER: My Before And After (Copper, Kontiki)
KENNY HOWES & THE YEAH!: Sheila, She (TallBoy, Until Dawn)
--
THE TOP OF THE TOPS COUNTDOWN!
# 20
COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: You Do Run (Wicked Cool, Saint Valentine's Day Massacre)
# 19
THE RED BUTTON: Cruel Girl (n/a, She's About To Cross My Mind)
# 18
EELS: Eyes Down (Disney, VA: Holes OST)
# 17
THE TREND: Electric Chair (Hate, Batman Live At Budokan)
# 16
STEVE STOECKEL & HIS THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO ALL-STARS: I Could Be Good For You (Kool Kate Music, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3)
# 15
THE HUMBUGS: Calico Eyes (Oddvious, On The Up Side)
# 14
LUGLESS BOOTH: I Blame His Brother (JAM, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 1)
# 13
THE SMITHEREENS: Sorry (Entertainment One, Smithereens 2011)
# 12
ASTROPUPPEES: On My Way (Manatee, Sugar Beat)
--
# 10 [tie]
ALEX CHILTON: Free Again (Rhino, 19 Years)
EYTAN MIRSKY: This Year's Gonna Be Our Year (M-Squared, Year Of The Mouse)
# 9
THE CATHOLIC GIRLS: Should Have Been Mine (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3)
# 8
THE GANTS: I Wonder (Rhino, VA: Nuggets)
# 7
MAD MONSTER PARTY: Can't Stop Loving You (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3)
# 6
SEX CLARK FIVE: Fool I Was
# 5
THE LA'S: There She Goes (Rhino, VA: Children Of Nuggets)
# 4
MANNIX: Highway Lines (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3)
# 3
THE RAMONES: Blitzkrieg Bop (Rhino, Ramones)
--
# 2
THE STALLIONS: Why (Junk, Hey Baby, It's The Stallions)
# 1
BIG STAR: September Gurls (Ardent, # 1 Record/Radio City)
--
THE KINKS: She's Got Everything [Backing Track Take Two] (Sanctuary, The Anthology 1964-1971)


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Tonight on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

Listen, after two weeks of failed attempts at doing This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 849, we're startin' to wonder if that particular show is cursed or sumpin. Nonetheless, we'll soldier on tonight with TIRnRR # 849--Take 3, using a picture of the lovely 'n' talented Lisa Mychols as a positive talisman (and a picture of the lovely 'n' talented Suzi Quatro, because, y'know, Suzi Quatro!). We'll play a track from dear ol' Suzi, as well as a new archival track from our Lisa, and new music from Terry Draper, Maxi Dunn, Orbis Max, The Bottle Kids, and The Maladaptive Solution (with Michael Carpenter, Brad Beard, and Mike Giblin). As befits a near-milestrorm show, we'll also feature a few TIRnRR Fave Raves new and old, and we'll close the show with a special hour-long countdown of all 20 tracks that made it to # 1 in our year-end Countdown shows, ranked by how many times each track has been played overall during the course of 848 shows. And I'll tell ya this: the top two songs on that countdown are also TIRnRR's two most-played songs overall. Third time's a charm, baby! No, really. Don't try to argue with Lisa Mychols and Suzi Quatro. Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, www.westcottradio.org

Thanksgiving

I have two conflicting childhood memories of Thanksgiving. I remember turkey prep in our little suburban kitchen, with my Dad buttering a brown paper bag, placing the turkey in the buttered bag, and then putting the big, bagged turkey into the oven. It sounds like a weird method to cook a turkey, but I tell ya, it results in a moist 'n' delicious bird and a tasty holiday meal.

But I also remember going to my Aunt Mary's house on Park Street in Syracuse for Thanksgiving dinner. I don't know if I've confused different Thanksgivings in my mind, or if my Mom baked the turkey in North Syracuse and we transported it to Aunt Mary's house for the family dinner. Or maybe I'm confusing Thanksgivings with the Christmas Eves we spent at Aunt Mary's. I don't know.

But I think we did go to Aunt Mary's house for most of our Thanksgivings. And my memories of holiday dinners there remain full and vibrant, and plentiful: turkey and stuffing, roasted potatoes, macaroni and meatballs (We're Italian, fercryinoutloud!), and sweet, sumptuous desserts. As far and away the youngest kid at these dinners, I was usually relegated to a meal at the kitchen table rather than the dining room. And I vividly recall loud conversations after the meal was done, as my Uncle Art and Uncle Mike argued politics, and my Dad--ever the peacemaker--tried to referee. It is an indelible, happy memory, no matter how much fuzz my aging brain tries to gather around it.

Uncle Mike passed away in the mid-70s, when I was in high school. Uncle Art died in 1995, when my lovely wife Brenda was pregnant with Meghan, our only child. I lost my Dad in 2012. Aunt Mary, now 93 years old, resides in an assisted living facility; the family house on Park Street, which had belonged to my grandfather, was sold long ago. At 91, my Mom still lives in our old house in North Syracuse, and I check in with her every day.

For Thanksgiving this year, my brother Rob and sister-in-law Barb invited us to join them in Albany for a family meal. Rob and Barb have a new grandson, whom my Mom had not yet had the opportunity to meet. With that added incentive of allowing Mom to meet her newest great-grandchild, we agreed to make the trip. On Thanksgiving morning, Brenda, Meghan, and I picked up Mom, and set off down the New York State Thruway for Thanksgiving dinner in Albany. (Aunt Mary and my cousin Mary Ann had planned to meet us in Albany, but a morning phone call from Mary Ann informed us that her Mom didn't feel up for the trip. It was the only disappointing aspect of an otherwise-lovely day.)

Travel can be intimidating, even precarious around here at this time of year. Earlier this week, Syracuse had been the unhappy recipient of almost two feet of snow dumped upon our sorry souls; it took my ol' Cub Cadet and me an hour to clear the driveway Monday morning, and I don't want to imagine how long it would have taken (and how much I would be achin') if I'd been armed with just a freakin' snow shovel.

But fortune favors the cold! Or the bold. Whatever. By Thanksgiving, temps had risen, excess snow had melted, and driving conditions were conducive for a road trip.

My wife's car has satellite radio, so Little Steven's Underground Garage channel accompanied and propelled our ride: Moby Grape, James Brown, The Dave Clark Five, The Ramones, and Lesley Gore were among the sounds keeping this intrepid driver on the straight and narrow. We were ahead of schedule, so I added two pit stops near journey's end, just so we wouldn't arrive at my brother's house before they were ready for this Syracuse invasion. We got there just as the other guests started to filter in.

A word about my brother's in-laws: like Tony the Tiger once said of a specific sugary cereal, they're great. I often joke with Brenda that both she and I lucked out when it came to in-laws, and that goes for the extended family, too. I love my family, and Brenda's family, and my sister-in-law Barb's family, and so on through all the attendant family tree branches you could name. I hear so much about people who can't get along with their own family, or with some element of their family, and it saddens me. Even during our holiday dinner this year, Meghan heard from a friend suffering through Thanksgiving with her aunt, in a setting where she didn't feel welcome. I realize it's a common situation, and it's alien to my own experience. I appreciate how lucky I've been to never know that kind of life.

For me, family--even extended family--has always been about love, and delight, and camaraderie. It's not that we all agree about everything--we don't--but we agree on what's basic and important. And we enjoy spending time together, laughing together, remembering what was and hoping for what may be. I wish more of my family could have been there--I wish my brother Art and his family could have come in from Ohio, and I wish my sister Denise and her family could have flown in from England, and I wish Mary Ann could have come with Aunt Mary--but I'm grateful for the opportunity to gather with those who could be there. And I'm aglow with the contented feeling of seeing my daughter grow into the incredible young adult that now stands where my cherished little girl used to be; I look back in awe, and I look on in wonder, and marvel at the grace life has granted me.

I wish we had more time together. I wish we had more time. Meghan joked that we need another wedding, just to gather the family together. I agreed, while thinking to myself, Please, not your wedding next. Not now. Not yet. We last gathered en masse for my Mom's 90th birthday celebration in August of 2015. That was a blast. We need more happy get-togethers like that. We need a chance to toast, and dance, and tell stories, and reminisce.

As a family, like all families, we have suffered loss. We have endured the trials of time and distance, and done what we could to sustain our fragile hearts. Time is cruel, and we are mortal. But we live, we love, and we understand the bounty that we have been given. On Thanksgiving, members of our family gathered once again to enjoy a fabulous meal, and to enjoy our all-too-brief time together. That's sufficient cause for gratitude right there. That's reason enough to just say Thanks.

You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon: Fund me, baby! 

The Joy Of Blogging

130,706 words.

That's a conservative number of how much new material I've written for this blog since its start on January 18th of this year. It doesn't count This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio playlists or hype, it doesn't count any old material from my archives (regardless of whether or not the material had been previously published), nor really anything I wrote for any other purpose and then decided to publish here, too. No, that word count only reflects what I wrote specifically for this blog. That's about 200 typed pages, give or take. And I think most of it has been pretty damned good. Add in the veritable wealth of archival material I've presented in my ongoing quest to post something each 'n' every day, and it would be tough to claim there hasn't been a lot happening here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do).

I'm really, really enjoying having this outlet for my writing. Yeah, I wish there were some, y'know, money involved--and saying that gives me an opportunity to once again beg for generous blog supporters to sign up to support me on Patreon for as little as $2 a month: Fund me, baby!--but it's been so, so gratifying to have a reason to write again. 

There are specific perks to writing for one's own blog, and the main perk is that I am the sole arbiter of what's appropriate for me to write here. For example, take my just-completed five-part Flashcubes fiction, A Brighter Light In My Mind. I had a lot of freedom when I was freelancing for Goldmine--then-editor Jeff Tamarkin was a delight to work with--but it's unlikely I could have convinced Goldmine or any other publication to let me concoct a lengthy fake history of a band that's basically unknown outside of a relatively small circle of fans (albeit a small circle of fans who are--let's face it!--smarter than everybody else). But that piece was such a blast to write! It was never anything that I'd planned to do; it was just a notion that occurred without warning, and I found myself at the computer writing it. Yeah, just like that. It almost felt like I was simply recording facts from another reality, rather than effectively makin' stuff up. It flowed quickly, and I'm proud of the result.

My Batman pulp fiction story The Undersea World Of Mr. Freeze was almost like that, as well. I had a vague, undefined idea (just the title, actually) for a Batman-Aquaman story when I was a teenager in the mid-'70s; decades later, I wrote a few paragraphs of the story for an online DC Comics bulletin board, but then this year I took those few paragraphs and expanded the piece into a complete short story. It was a similar situation with Eternity Man!, the first five chapters of a rock 'n' roll superhero novel I began on the blog in February, a work which flowed quickly and almost effortlessly from my mind onto the computer screen. 

I don't write a lot of fiction, and the Flashcubes piece is the only fiction I've published here that's gotten any kind of response or reaction. But, it's still my blog, so if I'm moved to post more fiction in the future, that remains my prerogative. I hope someone will dig it...!

Non-fiction is what earns the ol' clicks on here. My most popular posts have been about The Monkees, and I'm grateful for all the attention those pieces have received. I don't have any more Monkees stuff planned in the short term, but I didn't have that Flashcubes piece planned, either. I was thinking about two different Monkees-related ideas today; we'll see what happens (and if it's Wizard Glick's will).

My most popular recent series has been The Greatest Record Ever Made, and there will be many more of those coming. The Everlasting First, my A-Z recollections of my initial exposures to various singers and superheroes, will continue soon, picking up where we left off (J is for The Jam and Jimmy Olsen). My de facto autobiography Singers, Superheroes, And Songs On The Radio will also resume with more tales of your future blogger reading comic books and listening to records in the '70s. There will likewise be more in my Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery series of concert memories, and there will be more Comic Book Retroviews on the way, too.

Off the blog, I have two other projects in very early stages of not-done-yet. One is a secret for the time being. The other is my long-promised book on The Ramones, collecting my 1994 Ramones interviews for Goldmine under the title Gabba Gabba Hey: Conversations With The Ramones. I don't have a publisher yet--haven't even spoken with anyone about it--and it's a long way from finished. I do have the rough draft preamble/introduction written; that will not be published on the blog any time soon, but it will be available privately in December to my $5-a-month Patreon supporters. Everybody needs a reason to give!

What else? Lots. A daily blog eats up a lot of material, but I aim to keep it comin'. A post a day, every day. And with that, the new material word count just reached 131.132. And the hits just keep on comin'.




 
 
 

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Debut Tracks

"I Won't Let You Let Me Go" by The Poptarts was the first song ever played on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio.

In November of 2015, as we were just about to hit the milestorm This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 800, I went back through all of our playlists to determine a little what 'n' when: what was the first track we ever played by some of our favorite TIRnRR artists, and when did we first play it? The results appear below. TIRnRR # 850 is coming up soon, and we're still here (nearly) every Sunday night from 9 to Midnight Eastern at www.westcottradio.org. The weekend? Well. The weekend stops HERE!

[* denotes a track played on TIRnRR # 1]

1.4.5.: She Couldn’t Say No [1/2/00]

20/20: Nuclear Boy [3/21/99]

ABBA: Does Your Mother Know [5/2/99]

*ARTHUR ALEXANDER: Soldier Of Love (Lay Down Your Arms) [12/27/98]

HERB ALPERT & THE TIJUANA BRASS:  A Taste Of Honey [12/16/01]

THE ANIMALS: Don’t Bring Me Down [7/16/00]

APPLES IN STEREO: Seems So [9/26/99]

THE ARCHIES: Sugar And Spice [11/14/99]

P.P. ARNOLD: Angel Of The Morning [2/14/99]

ARTFUL DODGER: Follow Me [1/24/99]

ASTROPUPPEES: The Tube [4/1/01]

THE B-52’s: Debbie [6/20/99]

BADFINGER: Dennis [1/24/99]

THE BANGLES: All About You [10/24/99]

THE BARRACUDAS: His Last Summer [1/10/99]

LOU ANN BARTON: Don’t Slander Me [6/6/99]

STEVE BARTON:  Believe [1/2/00]

THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Rock And Roll Love Letter [1/3/99]

*THE BEACH BOYS: Don’t Worry Baby [12/27/98]

THE BEAT: Don’t Wait Up For Me [4/11/99]

*THE BEATLES: It’s Only Love [12/27/98]

THE BEAU BRUMMELS: Laugh, Laugh [1/31/99]

BEAUTY SCENE OUTLAWS:  He's No Me [2/22/04]

THE BEE GEES: Turn Of The Century [1/2/00]

CHUCK BERRY: Louie To Frisco [3/21/99]

*THE BEVIS FROND: Now You Know [12/27/98]

LAURIE BIAGINI:  Not The Only Pretty Fish In His Sea [5/2/10]

BIG HELLO: Today Will Be Yesterday Tomorrow [3/19/00]

*BIG STAR: In The Street [12/27/98]

BLONDIE: (I’m Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear [2/21/99]

BLOTTO: The B-Side [1/3/99]

DAVID BOWIE: Suffragette City [6/6/99]

THE BOX TOPS: Neon Rainbow [2/28/99]

THE BRADBURYS: Supersonic [7/30/00]

JAMES BROWN: For Goodness Sakes, Look At Those Cakes [5/16/99]

BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD: Go And Say Goodbye [4/11/99]

THE BURNS SISTERS: I Won’t Turn My Back [4/11/99]

THE BUZZCOCKS: Ever Fallen In Love [2/21/99]

THE BYRDS: Don’t Make Waves [3/14/99]

MICHAEL CARPENTER: Thinking About You [8/15/99]

JOHNNY CASH: Folsom Prison Blues [3/14/99]

SHAUN CASSIDY: Hey Deanie [1/31/99]

THE CATHOLIC GIRLS: Someone New [4/4/99]

JIMMY CAVALLO: Rock The Joint [1/10/99]

ANNY CELSI: Empty Hangers [11/2/03]

THE CHARMS: Marianne [1/19/03]

CHEAP TRICK: Say Goodbye [1/3/99]

THE CHESTERFIELD KINGS: Help You Ann [3/28/99]

CHICKLET: Out Of Sight [7/3/99]

ALEX CHILTON: Free Again [1/17/99]

THE CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND: Don’t Need Your Lovin’ [1/17/99]

THE DAVE CLARK FIVE: Any Way You Want It [4/18/99]

THE CLASH: Tommy Gun [3/21/99]

CLOUD ELEVEN: Things Will Work Out Fine [4/18/99]

*COCKEYED GHOST: About Jill [12/27/98]

JOE COCKER: I’ll Cry Instead [7/22/01]

COCKTAIL SLIPPERS:  You Do Run [1/3/10]

ALICE COOPER: School’s Out [10/17/99]

ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS: I Stand Accused [2/14/99]

COTTON MATHER: Homefront Cameo [1/17/99]

THE COWSILLS: The Rain, The Park And Other Things [8/8/99]

*CREATION: Making Time [12/27/98]

MARSHALL CRENSHAW: Someplace Where Love Can’t Find Me [8/8/99]

CROWDED HOUSE: Don’t Dream It’s Over [2/21/99]

THE CURE: In Between Days [5/9/99]

DICK DALE: Scalped [4/18/99]

THE DAMNED: Wait For The Blackout [4/18/99]

DANCE HALL CRASHERS:  So Sue Us [6/6/99]

THE dB’s: Love Is For Lovers [6/27/99]

DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK& TICH: Hold Tight [11/17/02]

DEVO:  Incontrollable Urge [4/29/01]

*THE DICKIES: I Can’t Let Go [12/27/98]

THE DICTATORS: Faster And Louder [1/31/99]

BO DIDDLEY: Roadrunner [1/3/99]

THE DIPSOMANIACS: Pushin’ Red [4/11/99]

DM3: Foolish [1/10/99]

*THE DONNAS: Rock ‘n’ Roll Machine” [12/27/98]

DONOVAN: Colours [8/22/99]

THE DRIFTERS: Sweets For My Sweet [10/24/99]

THE DROWNERS: Bellingham [5/28/00]

*THE DUKES OF STATOSPHEAR:  Vanishing Girl [12/27/98]

BOB DYLAN: Like A Rolling Stone [4/4/99]

THE EASYBEATS: She’s So Fine [1/17/99]

DAVE EDMUNDS: Girls Talk [5/23/99]

THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA: Livin’ Thing [2/11/01]

THE ELECTRIC PRUNES: Get Me To The World On Time [1/31/99]

THE ENGLISH BEAT: Save It For Later [1/10/99]

THE EVERLY BROTHERS: Man With Money [5/9/99]

THE FACES: Cindy Incidentally [7/25/99]

SHANE FAUBERT: Ophelia [1/3/99]

THE FINKERS: This Time It’s Love [8/8/99]

FIREKING: The Forgotten [7/1/01]

THE FLAMIN’ GROOVIES: First Plane Home [1/10/99]

*THE FLASHCUBES: It’s You Tonight [12/27/98]

THE FLESHTONES: One More Time [3/14/99]

LANNIE FLOWERS:  Turn Up The Radio [9/16/12]

FOOLS FACE: Even Angels Fall [7/25/99]

FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE: Denise [4/11/99]

THE FOUR TOPS: Are You Man Enough [6/11/00]

FRISBIE: Momentito [8/6/00]

THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR: Let Her Dance [1/24/99]

GAME THEORY:  Real Nighttime [3/13/05]

GANG OF FOUR: I Found That Essence Rare [5/9/99]

MARVIN GAYE [& TAMMI TERRELL]: You’re All I Need To Get By [1/31/99]

THE GO-GO’S: The Whole World Lost Its Head [8/15/99]

GARY PIG GOLD: Rock And Roll Love Letter [2/6/00]

RACHAEL GORDON: Fun At Your House [4/2/00]

LESLEY GORE:  California Nights [9/14/03]

THE GRATEFUL DEAD: The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) [5/7/01]

AL GREEN: Let’s Stay Together [6/19/00]

THE GRIP WEEDS: Out Of Today [1/10/99]

GEORGE HARRISON: Poor Little Girl [3/7/99]

HAWAII MUD BOMBERS:  Natsu No Hi [12/5/04]

THE HEARTBREAKERS: Chinese Rocks [2/28/99]

RICHARD HELL & THE VOIDOIDS: Blank Generation [2/28/99]

HELLO HELEN: If You Want Me To [1/30/00]

JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE: Day Tripper [11/28/99]

HERMAN’S HERMITS: Got A Feeling [3/14/99]

RICHARD X. HEYMAN: Cornerstone [1/17/99]

JOHN HIATT: Thing Called Love [2/27/00]

THE HOLLIES: I Can’t Let Go [5/2/99]

BUDDY HOLLY: That’ll Be The Day [9/12/99]

THE HOODOO GURUS: The Right Time [1/24/99]

THE HUDSON BROTHERS: So You Are A Star [3/21/99]

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Summer Breeze [5/23/99]

JOE JACKSON: I’m The Man [2/4/01]

WANDA JACKSON: Let’s Have A Party [10/10/99]

THE JAM: And Your Bird Can Sing [1/17/99]

ED JAMES: Party At Joe’s [1/31/99]

*THE JELLYBRICKS: Miss You [12/27/98]

JEREMY: Crying On The Inside [5/2/99]

JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS: Eye To Eye [2/21/99]

DAVID JOHANSEN: Cool Metro [1/9/00]

JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS: Josie & the Pussycats (Main Title) [4/2/00]

THE KENNEDYS: Month Of Hours [1/31/99]

THE KINKS: Everybody’s Gonna Be Happy [1/17/99]

KISS: I Love It Loud [2/21/99]

KLAATU: Sub-Rosa Subway [6/24/01]

THE KNACK: Smilin’ [1/3/99]

THE KNICKERBOCKERS: They Ran For Their Lives [1/17/99]

THE LA’S: There She Goes [2/21/99]

THE LAST: You Won’t Win [9/12/99]

STEPHEN LAWRENSON:  Town [1/30/05]

THE LEAVES: Too Many People [1/31/99]

*JOHN LENNON: I’m Losing You [12/27/98]

JULIAN LENNON: Day After Day [3/21/99]

BILL LLOYD: Work In Progress [1/31/99]

THE LOLAS: Yer Gonna Need My Lovin Someday [12/5/99]

THE LONG RYDERS: I Had A Dream [2/28/99]

*MARY LOU LORD: Lights Are Changing [12/27/98]

LOVE: Gimmie A Little Break [1/24/99]

NICK LOWE: So It Goes [1/10/99]

LYRES: But If You’re Happy [1/3/99]

KIRSTY MacCOLL: You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet Baby [3/28/99]

MAD MONSTER PARTY:  Can't Stop Loving You [11/7/10]

THE MARLOWES: Why Didn’t I Think Of That? [3/28/99]

THE MASTICATORS: He’s The One [9/19/99]

MATERIAL ISSUE: Renee Remains The Same [6/6/99]

THE MC5: Kick Out The Jams [1/24/99]

PAUL McCARTNEY: Maybe I’m Amazed [2/14/99]

EYTAN MIRSKY: What Do I Do? [1/30/00]

THE MOBERLYS: Blow Your Life Away [10/3/99]

THE MOCKERS: C’mon Over To My Side [2/28/99]

THE MODERN LOVERS: Roadrunner # 2 [3/14/99]

*THE MONKEES: Regional Girl [12/27/98]

THE MOTORS: Airport [1/10/99]

MOTT THE HOOPLE: All The Young Dudes [7/16/00]

THE MOVE: Do Ya [2/20/00]

MR. ENCRYPTO: Going. Going, Gone [6/2/02]

*THE MUFFS: Sad Tomorrow [12/27/98]

LISA MYCHOLS: Look On [10/7/01]

*MYRACLE BRAH:  Loli La Letta [12/27/98]

THE NAZZ: Open My Eyes [1/31/99]

MICHAEL NESMITH: I Am Not That [2/7/99]

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS: The Laws Have Changed [6/22/03]

THE NEW YORK DOLLS: Babylon [1/24/99]

NAZARETH: Holiday [4/18/99]

THE NERVES: Working Too Hard [10/15/00]

HARRY NILSSON: Subterranean Homesick Blues [7/25/99]

NIRVANA: About A Boy [2/28/99]

NIXON’S HEAD: Zoom [5/2/99]

THE OHIO EXPRESS: Sweeter Than Sugar [1/31/99]

THE OOHS: Victim Of The Night Time World [11/12/00]

THE ORGONE BOX: Judy Over The Rainbow [4/1/01]

OUTRAGEOUS CHERRY: Where Do I Go When You Dream? [8/8/99]

THE PANDORAS: It’s About Time [1/24/99]

PARANOID LOVESICK: Universe Boat [3/21/99]

GRAHAM PARKER: Ordinary Girl [2/14/99]

THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: I Woke Up In Love This Morning [3/28/99]

RAY PAUL: Some Sing, Some Dance [4/30/00]

THE PENETRATORS: Teenage Lifestyle [3/4/01]

TOM PETTY: I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better [3/28/99]

PEZBAND: Baby, It’s Cold Outside [8/15/99]

LIZ PHAIR: What Makes You Happy [1/31/99]

WILSON PICKETT: Sugar, Sugar [2/7/99]

PINK FLOYD: See Emily Play [6/6/99]

GENE PITNEY: 24 Hours From Tulsa [3/19/00]

THE PIXIES: Gigantic [8/29/99]

*THE PLIMSOULS: Playing With Jack [12/27/98]

THE POINTED STICKS:  Apologies [3/18/01]

IGGY POP: Consolation Prizes [10/31/99]

POP IS ART: Baby He Loves You [11/16/03]

POPDUDES: Desperation Time [6/1/03]

JOHNNY POPSTAR LUV EXPLOSION: Guess I’m Just A Friendly Guy [6/27/99]

*THE POPTARTS: I Won’t Let You Let Me Go [12/27/98]

ELVIS PRESLEY: Santa Claus Is Back In Town [12/19/99]

THE PRETENDERS: Brass In Pocket [2/21/99]

THE PRIMITIVES: Through The Flowers [2/28/99]

SUZI QUATRO: Tear Me Apart [1/3/99]

THE RAMONES: I Don’t Want To Grow Up [1/3/99]

THE RASCALS: Love Is A Beautiful Thing [6/25/00]

THE RASPBERRIES: Ecstasy [1/10/99]

THE RECORDS: Hearts Will Be Broken [2/14/99]

REDD KROSS: Annie’s Gone [3/28/99]

OTIS REDDING: Pounds And Hundreds [10/24/99]

LOU REED: Vicious [1/17/99]

R.E.M.: Superman [1/10/99]

PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS: Just Like Me [2/7/99]

CHRIS RICHARDS: It Doesn’t Sound Like You [6/8/03]

AMY RIGBY: Downside Of Love [6/29/03]

THE ROLLING STONES: The Last Time [3/14/99]

THE ROMANTICS: Running Away [1/17/99]

THE ROOKS: Reasons [1/24/99]

PATTI ROTHBERG:  Dish It Out [1/25/04]

ROXY MUSIC: Virginia Plain [8/29/99]

THE RUBINOOS: Saturday Morning Cartoons [4/11/99]

THE RUNAWAYS: Cherry Bomb [3/21/99]

TODD RUNDGREN: Couldn’t I Just Tell You [5/30/99]

THE RUTLES: It’s Looking Good [1/10/99]

SAM & DAVE: Soul Man [4/11/99]

SCREEN TEST: Sound Of The Radio [3/7/99]

SEX CLARK FIVE: The Men Who Didn’t Know Ice [11/19/00]

THE SEX PISTOLS: God Save The Queen [1/10/99]

THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT: Shake [1/24/99]

DEL SHANNON: Move It On Over [5/2/99]

THE SHAZAM: Let’s Away [1/17/99]

THE SEARCHERS: Have You Ever Loved Somebody [2/28/99]

THE SCRUFFS: She Say Yea [4/11/99]

THE SHANGRI-LAS: Sophisticated Boom Boom [7/25/99]

SHOCKING BLUE: Venus [6/13/99]

SHOES: Tomorrow Night [2/28/99]

*SHONEN KNIFE: Daydream Believer [12/27/98]

SIMON & GARFUNKEL: Cecilia [6/20/99]

THE SKELETONS: The World You Grace [1/3/99]

SLADE: Mama Weer All Crazee Now [3/14/99]

SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE: Runnin’ Away [2/21/99]

THE SMALL FACES: Whatcha Gonna Do About It? [1/17/99]

THE SMITHEREENS: Some Other Guy [2/28/99]

THE SONICS: Boss Hoss [11/28/99]

THE SPONGETONES: Have You Ever Been Torn Apart? [1/10/99]

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: Son Of A Preacher Man [2/14/99]

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND: The Ties That Bind [5/9/99]

SQUEEZE: Goodbye Girl [1/3/99]

THE SQUIRES OF THE SUBTERRAIN: Intoxicating Violet [2/28/99]

THE STANDELLS: Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White [1/31/99]

RINGO STARR: Photograph [3/7/99]

STATUS QUO: Pictures Of Matchstick Men [6/11/00]

ROD STEWART: (I Know) I’m Losing You [12/12/99]

STYX: Lorelei [7/16/00]

SWEET: Action [1/10/99]

*MATTHEW SWEET: Sick Of Myself [12/27/98]

T. REX: Jeepster [5/2/99]

TAMMY & THE LORDS OF MISRULE: Clockwork [11/12/00]

TEENAGE FANCLUB: Star Sign [5/23/99]

TELEVISION: See No Evil [2/7/99]

THEM: Route 66 [3/21/99]

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS: Don’t Let’s Start [10/24/99]

JOHNNY THUNDERS: Short Lives [1/17/99]

*TOOTS & THE MAYTALS: Take Me Home, Country Roads [12/27/98]

THE TRAVELING WILBURYS: Runaway [6/27/99]

THE TREND: Band Aid [2/27/00]

THE TROGGS: Jingle Jangle [1/10/99]

THE TURTLES: Outside Chance [1/31/99]

THE DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND: That I Remember [1/3/99]

*THE UNDERTONES: Teenage Kicks [12/27/98]

UPTIGHT: The Hitman From Detroit [6/16/02]

BEN VAUGHN: Sundown, Sundown [1/10/99]

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: Rock And Roll [1/17/99]

THE VILLAS: Pull You Back [4/9/00]

KYLE VINCENT: On The Beach [1/17/99]

THE VOICE OF THE BEEHIVE:  Don't Call Me Baby [6/27/99]

CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: Circles [1/3/99]

THE WHO: The Kids Are Alright [3/14/99]

LUCINDA WILLIAMS: Right In Time [1/17/99]

WONDERMINTS: Proto-Pretty [1/24/99]

WRECKLESS ERIC: Whole Wide World [1/10/99]

X-RAY SPEX: Oh Bondage Up Yours! [4/25/99]

XTC: Respectable Street [1/10/99]

THE YARDBIRDS: Little Games [1/17/99]

NEIL YOUNG: Cinnamon Girl [6/6/99]

WARREN ZEVON: Poor Poor Pitiful Me [5/28/00]

THE ZOMBIES: Time Of The Season [3/14/99]

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