Saturday, May 18, 2019

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE (and other projects): The week in review

Image STILL courtesy of Rich Firestone
So! What have we accomplished this week?

This was largely a holdin'-pattern type of week, with some quiet tweaking of my proposed book The Greatest Record Ever Made. I'm waiting to hear back from an agent whom I hope will decide to represent this project; if she determines it's not for her, I'll try again elsewhere, I guess. At this time, I have no interest in self-publishing the book, so let's hope I can connect with an interested party.

I continue to edit selections for the 100 songs that will be discussed in the book. A Lesley Gore entry that I wrote and set aside is now back in the book, and many other choices have been made, unmade, re-thought, tossed, rescued, torched, yadda und yadda. The Table Of Contents will continue to evolve even after I've settled on the chosen 100, as I reconfigure the order for maximum punch. Here's where it stands for now, and I'm almost certainly going to change at least one more song:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD
DISCLAIMERS AND DECLARATIONS (A User's Guide To The Greatest Record Ever Made)
OVERTURE: A Fistful Of 45s
1. BADFINGER: Baby Blue
2. CHUCK BERRY: Promised Land
3. DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: I Only Want To Be With You
4. THE SEX PISTOLS: God Save The Queen
5. PATTI SMITH: Gloria
6. ELVIS PRESLEY: Heartbreak Hotel
7. LITTLE RICHARD: The Girl Can't Help It
8. WILSON PICKETT: In The Midnight Hour
9. THE HOLLIES: I Can't Let Go
10. THE SHIRELLES: Will You Love Me Tomorrow
11. BUDDY HOLLY: Peggy Sue/Everyday
12. GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS: Midnight Train To Georgia
13. THE RARE BREED: Beg, Borrow And Steal
14. CRAZY ELEPHANT: Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'
15. THE AVENGERS: We Are The One
16. THE ROLLING STONES: Happy
17. PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS: Kicks
18. ARETHA FRANKLIN: Respect 
19. THE MONKEES: Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)
20. KISS: Shout It Out Loud
21. THE NEW YORK DOLLS: Personality Crisis
22. THE CASTAWAYS: Liar, Liar
23. THE EASYBEATS: Friday On My Mind
24. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: American Girl
25. SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES: The Tears Of A Clown
26. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Girls In Their Summer Clothes
27. TRANSLATOR: Everywhere That I'm Not
28. LESLEY GORE: You Don't Own Me
29. THE LEFT BANKE: Walk Away, Renee
30. THE COWSILLS: She Said To Me
31. MARVIN GAYE: I Heard It Through The Grapevine
32. SHOES: Tomorrow Night
33. BIG STAR: September Gurls
34. PRINCE: When You Were Mine
35. THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Rock And Roll Love Letter
36. THE KNICKERBOCKERS: Lies
INTERLUDE: The Tottenham Sound Of...The Beatles?!
37. THE DAVE CLARK FIVE: Any Way You Want It
38. JAMES BROWN: Please, Please, Please
39. GRAND FUNK: We're An American Band
INTERLUDE: Old Time Rock & Roll
40. THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM: 2 + 2 = ?
41. TODD RUNDGREN: Couldn't I Just Tell You
42. THE JIVE FIVE: What Time Is It?
43. THE RUBINOOS: I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
44. SAMMY AMBROSE: This Diamond Ring
45. SUGAR: If I Can't Change Your Mind
46. THE FLIRTATIONS: Nothing But A Heartache
47. THE BYRDS: I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better
48. THE FIRST CLASS: Beach Baby
49. THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Summer Breeze
50. THE BEATLES: Yesterday
ENTR'ACTE: Main Street Records, Brockport NY     
51. THE SPINNERS: I'll Be Around
52. ALICE COOPER: School's Out
53. BARON DAEMON & THE VAMPIRES: The Transylvania Twist
54. SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE: Everybody Is A Star
INTERLUDE: I Dream Of Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee, Tommy (and occasionally Marky, Richie, CJ, and/or new recruits)
55. THE RAMONES: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
56. LED ZEPPELIN: Communication Breakdown
57. BEN E. KING: Stand By Me
58. THE YOUNG RASCALS: Good Lovin'
59. OTIS REDDING: (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
60. THE GO-GO'S: We Got The Beat
61. THE COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: St. Valentine's Day Massacre
62. GENE PITNEY: Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa
63. THE WHO: I Can't Explain
64. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: I'll Be Your Mirror
65. FREDDIE & THE DREAMERS: Do The Freddie
66. THE DRIFTERS: On Broadway
67. SAM & DAVE: Soul Man
68. THE SPONGETONES: (My Girl) Maryanne
69. HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES: Don't Leave Me This Way
70. THE RASPBERRIES: I Wanna Be With You
71. THE FLASHCUBES: No Promise
72. THE KINKS: You Really Got Me
73. THE KINKS: Waterloo Sunset
74. THE JAM: In The City
75. JOHNNY NASH: I Can See Clearly Now
76. THE FOUR TOPS: Reach Out I'll Be There
77. THE O'JAYS: Put Your Hands Together
78. PAUL COLLINS: Walking Out On Love
79. MANNIX: Highway Lines
80. T. REX: 20th Century Boy
81. THE SMITHEREENS: Behind The Wall Of Sleep
82. THE SUPREMES: You Keep Me Hangin' On
83. THE SEARCHERS: Hearts In Her Eyes
84. THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Shake Some Action
85. MATERIAL ISSUE: Kim The Waitress
86. FREDA PAYNE: Band Of Gold
87. LULU: To Sir, With Love
88. THE EVERLY BROTHERS: Gone, Gone, Gone
89. THE BEVIS FROND: He'd Be A Diamond
90. P. P. ARNOLD: The First Cut Is The Deepest
91. THE BEACH BOYS: God Only Knows
92. THE SELECTER: On My Radio
93. CHEAP TRICK Surrender
94. SOLOMON BURKE: Everybody Needs Somebody To Love
95. DAVID BOWIE: Life On Mars?
96. EDDIE & THE HOT RODS: Do Anything You Wanna Do
97. THE GRATEFUL DEAD: Uncle John's Band
98. EYTAN MIRSKY: This Year's Gonna Be Our Year
99. THE JAYHAWKS: I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
LAST CALL: An Infinite Number
INTERLUDE: Underrating The Beatles
100. THE BEATLES: Rain
CLOSING TIME! THE T-BONES: No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)
CODA: Cruisin' Music
AFTERWORD    

Moving toward a complete first draft, all of the supplemental chapters are done, and only 30 of the 100 main entries remain to be done. Not counting any of the partially-completed entries, the manuscript totals a little over 75,000 words so far.

Other stuff:

Hey, AHOY Comics has added me to its Creators page! Yep, that's me, between Bryce Ingman and Carly Wright. Woo-hoooo!

This week, I received payment for my short story "The Picture Of Amontillado," following my payment for "Guitars Vs. Rayguns" a month ago. On Tuesday, I completed final revisions of two more new short stories I wrote the previous week, and submitted those (plus two others) to AHOY for consideration. Time to write more! I'm also pulling at the mental threads of a proposal for a new comic book series. It's an idea I've had in my head for a long time. Believe it or not, it doesn't involve superheroes, at least not initially. It's an original property, designed as a limited series, but open to continuation after the first story's been told. I think it's unique, but it needs a lot more work before anyone can see it. A lot more work. But I'm enthused about it. The work continues.





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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. A digital download version (minus The Smithereens' track) is also available from Futureman Records.

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