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-OpRay PaulCirce Link & Christian NesmithVegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie FlowersThe SlapbacksP. HuxIrene PeñaMichael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave MerrittThe RubinoosStepford KnivesThe Grip WeedsPopdudesRonnie DarkThe FlashcubesChris von SneidernThe Bottle Kids1.4.5.The SmithereensPaul Collins' BeatThe Hit SquadThe RulersThe Legal MattersMaura & the Bright LightsLisa 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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