In 1977, singer Johnny Rotten told Rolling Stone that his controversial group The Sex Pistols was just a dance band. He added that their goal was to destroy the world, but still: a dance band. Just a dance band.
I think many people outside of that crucible of punk and new wave in the late '70s and early '80s tend to overlook the pure fun aspect of our noise and clatter. There was anger, sure, a rejection of the status quo, a vocal repudiation of stuff we didn't like (from disco to dinosaurs), an embrace of flamboyance and a determined celebration of our own willful square-peggedness. But really, truly, honestly--we just wanted to dance.
We wanted to dance to pop music that felt like it was ours. We didn't want to listen to Saturday Night Fever, or Hotel California, nor anything else we deemed boring. Did we contradict ourselves? We were large. We contained multitudes. And we wanted to dance.
To all of you who remember, and understand: Dance!
NEXT WEEK: If the scheduling works out, we'll bid farewell to 2017 with a celebration. No, the year was not what we wanted it to be, but alongside our usual irresistible TIRnRR fare we'll celebrate some of the great new music of 2017, we'll celebrate the cherished memories of some of the great artists we lost, we'll celebrate our own 2017 compilation This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4, we'll celebrate some anniversaries, and we'll celebrate the music of our Featured Act The Smithereens, in memory of Pat DiNizio. We'll dance. It's what we do. IN TWO WEEKS: THE COUNTDOWN!! 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, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse on The Spark WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/
Spark Syracuse is supported by listeners like you. Tax-deductible donations are welcome at http://sparksyracuse.org/support/
You can follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at
https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/
Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes, Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.
TIRnRR # 903: 12/24/17
THE RAMONES: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (Rhino, End Of The Century)
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THE B-52'S: Rock Lobster (Rhino, Nude On The Moon)
SWEET: Fox On The Run (Capitol, The Best Of Sweet)
M: Pop Muzik (Music Club, Pop Muzik)
THE BUGGLES: Video Killed The Radio Star (Island, The Age Of Plastic)
KATRINA & THE WAVES: Walking On Sunshine (Capitol, Katrina & The Waves)
DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS: Come On Eileen (Mercury, Too-Rye-Ay)
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TELEVISION: See No Evil [alternate version] (Rhino, The Complete Elektra Recordings)
JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS: Chinese Rocks (Jungle, L.A.M.F.)
THE RAMONES: I Wanna Be Sedated (Rhino, Road To Ruin)
THE NEW YORK DOLLS: Trash (Mercury, New York Dolls)
RICHARD HELL & THE VOIDOIDS: Blank Genration (Sire, Blank Generation)
BLONDIE: One Way Or Another (Chrysalis, The Platinum Collection)
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PUBLIC IMAGE LTD.: Public Image (Virgin, The Greatest Hits, So Far)
GANG OF FOUR: I Found That Essence Rare (EMI, Entertainment!)
THE STRANGLERS: No More Heroes (Parlophone, Peaches)
THE VAPORS: Turning Japanese (EMI, The Best Of The Vapors)
THE BUZZCOCKS: Whatever Happened To...? (IRS, Singles Going Steady)
SQUEEZE: Annie Get Your Gun (A & M, The Squeeze Story)
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THE ROMANTICS: What I Like About You (Nemperor, The Romantics)
THE RUBINOOS: I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (Castle, Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The Rubinoos)
THE RASPBERRIES: Go All The Way (RPM, Power Pop Volume One)
THE RECORDS: Teenarama (Virgin, Smashes, Crashes And Near-Misses)
THE REZILLOS: Top Of The Pops (Sire, Can't Stand The Rezillos)
R.E.M.: It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) (IRS, And I Feel Fine....)
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THE UNDERTONES: Teenage Kicks (Rykodisc, The Undertones)
PSYCHEDELIC FURS: Pretty In Pink (Columbia, Talk Talk Talk)
SPLIT ENZ: History Never Repeats (A & M, History Never Repeats)
THE GO-GO'S: Our Lips Are Sealed (IRS, Beauty And The Beat)
THE BANGLES: Manic Monday (Columbia, Different Light)
ALTERED IMAGES: I Could Be Happy (Music Club, Happy Birthday)
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THE FLASHCUBES: It's You Tonight (Northside, Bright Lights)
THE TEARJERKERS: Syracuse Summer (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3)
THE POPTARTS: Jealousy (PlumTone, Fresh...Out Of The Toaster)
JONATHAN RICHMAN & THE MODERN LOVERS: Roadrunner (Once) (Sanctuary, Roadrunner, Roadrunner)
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS: Pump It Up (Rykodisc, This Year's Model)
ROBERT GORDON: Someday, Someway (Razor & Tie, Red Hot 1977-1981)
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THE PRETENDERS: Cuban Slide (Rhino, Pretenders)
THE ENGLISH BEAT: Save It For Later (IRS, What Is Beat?)
THE NERVES: Hanging On The Telephone (Alive, One Way Ticket)
CHEAP TRICK: I Want You To Want Me (Epic, At Budokan)
THE CLASH: Train In Vain (Epic, London Calling)
NICK LOWE: Cruel To Be Kind (Yep Roc, Quiet Please...)
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THE CURE: Jumping Someone Else's Train (Elektra, Staring At The Sea)
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK: Enola Gay (Spectrum, The Best Of OMD)
NEW ORDER: Temptation (Rhino, Singles)
JOY DIVISION: Love Will Tear Us Apart ( Rhino, Substance)
THE REPLACEMENTS: I Will Dare (Rhino, Let It Be)
THE SMITHEREENS: Behind The Wall Of Sleep (Enigma, Especially For You)
THE PRETENDERS: Swinging London (Rhino, Pretenders)
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