THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Flashback: DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT # 4

Concluding a look back at the earliest editions of DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT. We've already seen the first three, from 2012, 2013, and 2014, and more recent editions from 2016, 2017, 2018, and last week's 2019 blowout have all appeared here when they were shiny and new. Now, we bridge the gap with a trip back to September 6th, 2015 for DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT # 4.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse on SPARK! WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/

This week's episode of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO proudly presented the return of DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT, a beloved TIRnRR tradition that allows Dana to program three irresistible hours of soul, blues, funk, and r & b, all to universal delight.  After an opening set of British rock 'n' roll groups paying tribute to American soul, Dana dove right into the muddy waters (HAR!) to assemble a soulful shindig like no other.  We even changed our billing, for one week only, as Dana & Carl became your Funky Soul Pit hosts, Soul Brother Number 27 and The Fantastic Carl C.  Oh YES!  Scan the playlist below, and marvel at the brilliance of DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT.

NEXT WEEK:  new music from DANA COUNTRYMAN, new music from Kool Kat Musik recording artists THE JUNIOR LEAGUE, and new music from Australian pop god MICHAEL CARPENTER!  And this is what rockin' soul radio sounded like on a Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO with Dana & Carl streams live every Sunday night from 9 to Midnight Eastern, exclusively at www.westcottradio.org

TIRnRR # 791:  DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT  9/6/15

JOEY RAMONE & GENERAL JOHNSON:  "Rockaway Beach" (Rhino, VA:  Godchildren Of Soul)

--

THE WHO:  "Dancing In The Street" (MCA, BBC Sessions)

THE BEATLES:  "Devil In Her Heart" (Apple, With The Beatles)

THE SMALL FACES:  "Shake" (Fuel 2000, The BBC Sessions)

THE KINKS:  "Cadillac" (Essential, Kinks)

THE YARDBIRDS:  "A Certain Girl" (Rhino, Ultimate!)

THE JAM:  "In The Midnight Hour" (Polydor, Direction Reaction Creation)

--

MUDDY WATERS:  "Rollin' Stone" (Geffen, The Definitive Collection)

OTIS BLACKWELL:  "Daddy Rollin' Stone" (Blue City, Daddy Rollin' Stone)

MOSE ALLISON:  "Parchman Farm" (Floating World, The Collection)

SHIRLEY & LEE:  "Let The Good Times Roll" (Warwick, Let The Good Times Roll)

BENNY SPELLMAN:  "Fortune Teller" (EMI, VA:  Crescent City Soul)

SAM COOKE:  "Chain Gang" (RCA, The Best Of Sam Cooke)

--

OTIS REDDING:  "Day Tripper [live]" (Rhino, Otis!)

NINA SIMONE:  "Revolution (Part 1)" (BMG, To Love Somebody)

AL GREEN:  "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (The Right Stuff, Green Is Blues)

RICHIE HAVENS:  "Rocky Raccoon" (Rykodisc, Sings Beatles & Dylan)

BILLY PRESTON:  "Eight Days A Week" (Vampisoul, Soul Derby)

WILSON PICKETT:  "Hey Jude" (Rhino, A Man And A Half)

--

OTIS REDDING:  "A Change Is Gonna Come" (Rhino, Otis!)

THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS:  "The Times They Are A Changing" (Light In The Attic, Dylan's Gospel)

MARVIN GAYE:  "There Goes My Baby" (Motown, In The Groove)

THE SOUL BROTHERS:  "Mustang Sally" (Collectables, VA:  Deep In The Soul Of Texas)

SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES:  "Shop Around" (Motown, VA:  Hitsville USA)

ETTA JAMES:  "At Last" (Chess, At Last!)

--

P.P. ARNOLD:  "(If You Think You're) Groovy" (Castle, The First Cut)

MOSE ALLISON:  "Young Man's Blues" (Floating World, The Collection)

OTIS REDDING:  "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction [alternate]" (Stax, Stax Profiles)

THE TEMPTATIONS:  "Law Of The Land" (Motown, Psychedelic Soul)

JAMES BROWN:  "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" (Universal, Greatest Breakbeats)

PARLIAMENT:  "Ride On" (Mercury, Gold)

--

LOWELL FULSON:  "Tramp" (Ace, VA:  Super Breaks)

GASHEAD:  "Why Do You Treat Me Like A Tramp" (Collectables, VA:  Deep In The Soul Of Texas)

RUFUS THOMAS:  "Itch And Scratch (Part 1)" (Ace, The Funkiest Man)

THE JACKSON FIVE:  "I Want You Back" (Motown, The Ultimate Collection)

KIM WESTON:  "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)" (Motown, VA:  Hitsville USA)

THE ISLEY BROTHERS:  "Summer Breeze" (Sony, VA:  A Tribute To Black Entertainers)

--

MARVIN GAYE:  "Sexual Healing" (Columbia, Midnight Love)

ETTA JAMES:  "Tell Mama" (MCA, Tell Mama)

UNDISPUTED TRUTH:  "Mama, I Got A Brand New Thing" (Motown, The Collection)

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE:  "Dance To The Music" (Sony, Greatest Hits)

MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS:  "Dancing In The Street" (Motown, VA:  Hitsville USA)

LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS:  "Let's Move" (Future Noise, Rockin' At Herald)

--

THE FOUR TOPS:  "I Can't Help Myself" (Motown, The Ultimate Collection)

CARLA THOMAS:  "B-A-B-Y" (Rhino, Gee Whiz)

THE STAPLE SINGERS:  "I'll Take You There" (Stax, The Best Of The Staple Singers)

FONTELLA BASS:  "Rescue Me" (MCA, Rescued)

SAM & DAVE:  "I Thank You" (MCA, VA:  The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968)

LAURA LEE:  "What a Man" (Zealous, VA:  Soul Sides Volume Two:  The Covers)

IRMA THOMAS:  "Time Is On My Side" (Ace, Time Is On My Side)

WEST COAST REVIVAL:  "Feelin' Alright" (Zealous, VA:  Soul Sides Volume Two:  The Covers)

RYAN SHAW:  "Do The 45" (Shout Factory, VA:  Soul Revival)

COLD GRITS:  "It's Your Thing" (Zealous, VA:  Soul Sides Volume Two:  The Covers)

BOOKER T & THE MG'S:  "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (Fantasy, McLemore Avenue)

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Flashback: DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT # 3

Continuing our look back at the earliest editions of DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT. We've seen the first Soul Pit from 2012 and Soul Pit # 2 from 2013; now, it's August 3rd, 2014, and it's time for DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT # 3.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse on SPARK! WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/

Greetings again from THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO with Dana & Carl.  This week's extravaganza was devoted exclusively to the third annual edition of DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT, a chance for Dana to program an entire show's worth of irresistible soul, blues, and r 'n' b.  Don't try to resist it; you CAN'T.  For once, this ain't just hype.  If you can resist this stuff, not only are you without any soul, you are without any pulse.

Dana saw this year's edition of DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT as an opportunity to change things around a bit--or, if you will, to shake it up.  Baby.  With a spotlight on the sounds of Northern soul, Dana created the radio equivalent of boppin' into a hot London nightclub circa 1965--at the Bag O' Nails, at the Marquee, or wherever your Mod mind can imagine--and letting the music move you.  I can take no credit for this one, but I'm damn glad I was there to listen along.  If you missed it, you can still download it from the Programs section of our website, www.westcottradio.org.  DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT is always one of our best shows each year; DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT III just might be the best one yet.

NEXT WEEK:  on Sunday, August 10th, we celebrate the eve of JOE JACKSON's 60th birthday, as Guest Programmer BETH WOODELL has assembled a stellar show full of Joe's own music, as well as some of the great records that influenced our JJ when he was just a little sharp-looker.  IN TWO WEEKS:  on August 17th, MEGHAN CAFARELLI returns!  IN THREE WEEKS:  an otherwise-regular show, but we need to give away some LANNIE FLOWERS CDs to one lucky listener, so it's time to revive...THE MYSTERY THREAD!  And this is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like at Dana's Funky Soul Pit in Syracuse this week.

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO with Dana & Carl streams live every Sunday night from 9 to Midnight Eastern, exclusively at www.westcottradio.org.

TIRnRR # 736:  DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT III  8/3/14

THE RAMONES:  "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" (Rhino, End Of The Century)

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THE AD LIBS:  "The Boy From New York City" (Charly, VA:  The Twisted Wheel)

THE FIVE DU-TONES:  "Shake A Tail Feather" (Charly, VA:  The Scene Club)

THE MIRACLES:  "Shop Around" (Motown, VA:  Hitsville USA)

BOBBY FREEMAN:  "Do You Wanna Dance" (Snapper, VA:  The Roots Of The Beach Boys)

ERNIE K. DOE:  "A Certain Girl" (Charly, VA:  The Twisted Wheel)

CHRIS KENNER:  "Land Of 1,000 Dances" (Charly, VA:  The Scene Club)

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THE DIXIE CUPS:  "Iko Iko" (Charly, VA:  The Red Bird Story)

SAM COOKE:  "Chain Gang" (RCA, Greatest Hits)

THE FLARES:  "Foot Stompin'" (MCA, VA:  Hairspray OST)

THE CONTOURS:  "Do You Love Me" (Motown, The Very Best Of The Contours)

BARRETT STRONG:  "Money (That's What I Want)" (Motown, VA:  Hitsville USA)

RICHIE BARRETT:  "Some Other Guy" (Chrome Dreams, VA:  George Harrison's Jukebox)

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DERRICK & PATSY:  "Housewive's Choice" (Charly, VA:  The Scene Club)

THE COASTERS:  "Poison Ivy" (Rhino, The Very Best Of The Coasters)

BENNY SPELLMAN:  "Fortune Teller" (Charly, VA:  The Twisted Wheel)

THE GLADIOLAS:  "Little Darlin'" (Rhino, VA:  The Best Of Excello Records)

ALVIN ROBINSON:  "Searchin'" (Charly, VA:  The Twisted Wheel)

IKE & TINA TURNER:  "A Fool In Love" (Charly, VA:  The Scene Club)

--

BESSIE BANKS:  "Go Now" (Charly, VA:  The Red Bird Story)

LITTLE RICHARD:  "Dance What You Wanna" (Charly, VA:  The Twisted Wheel)

ROSCOE SHELTON:  "Question" (Charly, VA:  The Scene Club)

BOBBY "BLUE" BLAND:  "Turn On Your Lovelight" (Charly, VA:  The Twisted Wheel)

GENE CHANDLER:  "Nothing Can Stop Me" (Charly, VA:  Up All Night!)

BO DIDDLEY:  "Road Runner" (MCA, The Chess Box)

--

LAZY LESTER:  "I'm A Lover Not A Fighter" (Charly, VA:  The Scene Club)

MOSE ALLISON:  "Parchman Farm" (Prestige, Mose Allison Sings)

LEE DORSEY:  "Working In a Coal Mine" (Charly, VA:  Can You Hear Me)

HOWLIN' WOLF:  "Smokestack Lightnin'" (MCA, VA:  The Best Of Chess Records)

JOHN LEE HOOKER:  "Dimples" (Charly, VA:  Boogie Chillun)

CHUCK BERRY:  "Maybelline" (MCA, The Anthology)

--

SAM & DAVE:  "I Thank You" (Rhino, The Very Best Of Sam & Dave)

MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS:  "Dancing In The Streets" (Motown, VA:  Hitsville USA)

ETTA JAMES:  "Tell Mama" (MCA, 20th Century Masters)

THE SOUL BROTHERS:  "Mustang Sally" (Collectables, VA:  Deep In The Soul Of Texas)

THE SHIRELLES:  "Boys" (Capricorn, VA:  The Scepter Records Story)

THE SHARPEES:  "Do The 45" (Charly, VA:  The Twisted Wheel)

--

RAY CHARLES:  "Mess Around" (Rhino, Pure Genius)

DAN GARDNER & DEE DEE FORD:  "I Need Your Lovin'" (Charly, VA:  The Scene Club)

GASHEAD:  "Why Do You Treat Me Like A Tramp" (Collectables, VA:  Deep In The Soul Of Texas)

ARTHUR "BIG BOY" CRUDUP:  "That's All Right" (Wolf, His 22 Greatest Songs)

WILBURT HARRISON:  "Let's Stick Together" (Charly, VA:  The Scene Club)

OTIS BLACKWELL:  "Daddy Rollin' Stone" (Blue City, Daddy Rollin' Stone)

--

BIG SAMBO & THE HOUSE WRECKERS:  "At The Party" (Charly, VA:  The Twisted Wheel)

THE HIGH NUMBERS:  "I'm The Face" (MCA, THE WHO:  Odds & Sods)

ALVIN CASH & THE REGISTERS:  "Alvin's Boo-Ga-Loo" (Charly, VA:  The Scene Club)

SIR LATTIMORE BROWN:  "Shake And Vibrate" (Charly, VA:  The Twisted Wheel)

PHIL UPCHURCH COMBO:  "You Can't Sit Down" (MOJO, VA:  Mod Club Party)

THE SMALL FACES:  "Shake" (Immediate, Small Faces)

--

THE FOUR TOPS:  "I Can't Help Myself" (Motown, The Very Best Of The Four Tops)

THE ROLLING STONES:  "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (Abkco, Singles Collection)

THE TEMPTATIONS:  "My Girl" (Motown, VA:  Hitsville USA)

THE TOP NOTES:  "Shake It Up, Baby" (Hooddoo, VA:  The Influences Behind The Beatles)

THE KINKS:  "Cadillac" (Essential, Kinks)

MAXINE BROWN:  "Baby Cakes" (MOJO, VA:  Raw Soul)

THE UPSETTERS:  "Jaywalking" (Charly, VA:  The Scene Club)

THE YARDBIRDS:  "A Certain Girl" (Rhino, Ultimate!)

MARV JOHNSON:  "I Love The Way You Love" (Charly, VA:  The Twisted Wheel)

THE BEATLES:  "Anna" (Apple, Please Please Me)

CARLA THOMAS:  "B-A-B-Y" (Rhino, Carla)

BOOKER T & THE MG'S:  "Green Onions" (Stax. Green Onions)

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Flashback: DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT # 2

Continuing a look back at the earliest editions of DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT. We re-visited the first Soul Pit yesterday; today, we set our Boppin' Wabac Machine to June 23rd, 2013 for DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT # 2.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse on SPARK! WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/

Hello again from Dana & Carl and THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO, the self-described Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet.  We sez so, sez we.  And for this week's edition, Dana took over all of the music programmming for the long-awaited second annual edition of DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT!  While Carl concentrated exclusively on smartass comments--yes, like most other weeks--Dana programmed an invigmoratin' selection of deep-fried soul, blues, funk, reggae and/or R 'n' B, and the world had no choice but to swing and sway along.  

NEXT WEEK:  THE DANA & MEGHAN SHOW!  In TWO WEEKS:  THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO, VOLUMES 1-3!!  And this is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on a Sunday night at Dana's Funky Soul Pit in Syracuse this week.

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO with Dana & Carl streams live every Sunday night from 9 to Midnight Eastern, exclusively at www.westcottradio.org.

TIRnRR # 679:  DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT 6/23/13

BOOKER T & THE MGs:  "Time Is Tight" (Stax, Uptight OST)

--

BETTY EVERETT:  "Getting Mighty Crowded" (Charly, VA:  Up All Night!)

DEE CLARK:  "That's My Girl" (Charly, VA:  Up All Night!)

THE AD LIBS:  "Nothing Worse Than Being Alone" (Charly, VA:  Up All Night!)

THE SKULLSNAPS:  "I'm Your Pimp" (Charly, VA:  Up All Night!)
ROSCOE SHELTON:  "Running For My Life" (Charly, VA:  Up All Night!)
JAMO THOMAS & THE PARTY BROTHERS ORCHESTRA:  "I Spy (For The FBI)" (Charly, VA:  Up All Night!)
--
TOOTS & THE MAYTALS:  "Funky Kingston" (Music Club, The Very Best Of Toots & The Maytals)
BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS:  "Soul Shakedown Party" (Sanctuary, VA:  Trojan Reggae)
TOOTS & THE MAYTALS:  "Pressure Drop" (Music Club, The Very Best Of Toots & The Maytals)
BOBBY BLAND:  "Do What You Set Out To Do" (MCA, VA:  Best Of The Blues Volume 2)
THE ISLEY BROTHERS:  "Summer Breeze" (Sony, VA:  A Tribute To Black Entertainers)
BOBBY BLAND:  "Driftin' Blues" (MCA, VA:  Best Of The Blues Volume 2)
--
SAMMY DAVIS, JR:  "What Kind Of Fool Am I?" (Sony, VA:  A Tribute To Black Entertainers)
KIM WESTON:  "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)" (Motown, VA:  Hitsville USA)
MAXINE BROWN:  "Baby Cakes" (MOJO, VA:  Raw Soul)
NITE-LITERS:  "Afro Strut" (Bluebird, VA:  Flying Funk)
THE STAPLE SINGERS:  "I'll Take You There" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)
RICHARD BERRY:  "Have Love, Will Travel" (Laserlight, VA:  Johnnny Otis Presents The Best Of R & B)
--
THE GLADIOLAS:  "Little Darlin'" (Rhino, VA:  The Best Of Excello Records, Vol. 2)
SHORTY LONG:  "Devil With A Blue Dress" (Motown, VA:  25 Hard-To-Find Motown Classics--Volume III)
20 MILES:  "Come Right In" (Fat Possum, 20 Miles)
JUNIOR KIMBROUGH:  "I Gotta Try You Girl" (MOJO, VA:  Let's Move)
T-MODEL FORD:  "I'm Insane" (Fat Possum, PeeWee Get My Gun)
CHARLES CALDWELL:  "Hadn't I Been Good To You" (Fat Possum, Remember Me)
--
THE SUPREMES:  "Can't Buy Me Love" (Motown, VA:  Come Together)
AL GREEN:  "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (The Right Stuff, Green Is Blues)
BILLY PRESTON:  "Eight Days A Week" (MOJO, VA:  Beatlemania/Volume 1)
JUNIOR PARKER:  "Taxman" (UNCUT, VA:  Why Don't We Do It In The Road?)
STEVIE WONDER:  "We Can Work It Out" (Motown, VA:  Come Together)
OTIS REDDING:  "Day Tripper" (UNCUT:  VA:  Why Don't We Do It In The Road?)
--
THE FIVE DU-TONES:  "Shake A Tail Feather" (MCA, VA:  Hairspray OST)
JUDY CLAY:  "Sister Pitiful" (Rhino, VA:  Atlantic Sisters Of Soul)
THE FLAIRS:  "Foot Stompin'" (MCA, VA:  Hairspray OST)
SAM COOKE:  "Chain Gang" (RCA, The Best Of Sam Cooke)
THE FOUR TOPS:  "I Can't Help Myself" (Motown, Anthology)
THE COASTERS:  "Poison Ivy" (Rhino, The Very Best Of The Coasters)
--
JACKIE WILSON:  "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher" (Brunswick, 20 Greatest Hits)
THE MIRACLES:  "Shop Around" (Motown, VA:  Hitsville USA)
BOOKER T & THE MGs:  "Green Onions" (Stax, The Very Best Of Booker T & The MGs)
STANLEY TURRENTINE:  "Spooky" (Blue Note, VA:  The Lost Grooves)
THE DONTELLS:  "In Your Heart (You Know I'm Right)" (Charly, VA:  Up All Night!)
THE RIVINGTONS:  "I Love You Always" (Charly, VA:  Up All Night!)
--
LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS:  "Baby Please Don't Go" (MOJO, VA:  The Roots Of Bob Dylan)
MOSE ALLISON:  "Parchman Farm" (UNCUT, VA:  Here Come The Nice)
MUDDY WATERS:  "Rollin' Stone" (MOJO, VA:  The Roots Of Bob Dylan)
THE CONTOURS:  "Do You Love Me" (Motown, The Very Best Of The Contours)
TOBY LARK:  "Shake A Hand" (Rhino, VA:  Atlantic Sisters Of Soul)
BARBARA GEORGE:  "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)" (Rhino, VA:  Billboard Top R & B Hits--1962)
DON THOMAS:  "Come On Train" (Charly, VA:  Up All Night!)
BYRON LEE & THE DRAGONAIRES:  "Express Yourself" (Zealous, VA:  Soul Sides Volume Two:  The Covers)
THE VALENTINES:  "Breakaway" (Charly, VA:  Up All Night!)
EDWIN STARR:  "Agent Double O Soul" (Motown, VA:  25 Hard-To-Find Motown Classics--Volume III)
MARVIN GAYE & TAMMI TERRELL:  "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Motown, 20th Century Masters)
BOOKER T & THE MGs:  "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (UNCUT, VA:  Why Don't We Do It In The Road?)

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Flashback: DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT # 1

In the wake of The Eighth Annual DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio this week, it occurs to me that the first four editions of the Soul Pit predate this blog. It seems appropriate to preserve those solid smokin' playlists in this forum, so we're gonna go back in time to revisit each of 'em, beginning with the Secret Origin. From July 1st of 2012, Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) proudly presents DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT # 1.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse on SPARK! WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/

Another big ol' hello from Dana & Carl and THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO, the self-described Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet.  Well...!  Last week's show was sumpin indeed, as Dana took sole (and SOUL!) control of the playlist for a deep-fried extravaganza we could only call DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT, a three-hour BBQ blast o' soul, funk and r 'n' b, served with a smile and some random shots of blues, jazz, doo wop and pure pop.  Satisfyin'!  This show is now available for download from the Programs section of our website, www.westcottradio.org.

THIS WEEK:  TIRnRR's summer of specials continues Sunday night, July 8th, with music selected by our Guest Programmer KEITH KLINGENSMITH!  Be there or be missing!  And this is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like in Dana's Funky Soul Pit on a Sunday night in Syracuse last week.

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO with Dana & Carl streams live every Sunday night from 9 to Midnight Eastern, exclusively at www.westcottradio.org.

TIRnRR # 636:  DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT, 7/1/12

THE RAMONES:  "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" (Rhino, End Of The Century)

--

PARLIAMENT:  "Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up The Funk)" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

THE BROTHERS JOHNSON:  "Get The Funk Out Ma Face" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

THE BAR-KAYS:  "Shake Your Rump To The Funk" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

WILD CHERRY:  "Play That Funky Music" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

KOOL & THE GANG:  "Funky Stuff" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

PAUL HUMPHREY & HIS COOL AID CHEMISTS:  "Funky L.A." (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

--

SAM & DAVE:  "I Thank You" (Rhino, Sweat 'n' Soul)

BOBBY ANGELLE:  "Too Much For You" (MOJO, VA:  Raw Soul)

ERMA FRANKLIN:  "Light My Fire" (MOJO, VA:  Southern Soul)

LITTLE ESTHER PHILLIPS:  "Mojo Hannah" (MOJO, VA:  Raw Soul)

DON VARNER:  "Mojo Mama" (MOJO, VA:  Southern Soul)

BETTY BIBBS:  "Pounds Of Soul" (MOJO, VA:  Raw Soul)

--

THE ISLEY BROTHERS:  "Summer Breeze" (Columbia, VA:  A Tribute To Black Entertainers)

JACKIE WILSON:  "Lonely Teardrops" (Brunswick, 20 Greatest Hits)

AL GREEN:  "Tired Of Being Alone" (The Right Stuff, Greatest Hits)

OTIS REDDING:  "Louie Louie" (Ace, VA:  Love That Louie)

THE FIVE DU-TONES:  "Shake A Tail Feather" (MCA, VA:  Hairspray OST)

THE MIRACLES:  "Shop Around" (Motown, VA:  Hitsville USA)

--

THE GLADIOLAS:  "Little Darlin'" (Rhino, VA:  The Best Of Excello Records)

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

THE OHIO PLAYERS:  "Fire" (Polygram, VA:  Dance Fever)

ELTON & BETTY WHITE:  "A Jelly Behind Woman Blows My Mind" (Oxford American, VA:  10th Anniversary Edition)

CARLA THOMAS:  "Gee Whiz" (MCA, VA:  The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968)

FONTELLA BASS:  "I Surrender" (MOJO, VA:  Chess Classics)

--

THE STAPLE SINGERS:  "I'll Take You There" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

THE NITE-LITERS:  "Afro Strut" (Bluebird, VA:  Flying Funk)

CHARLES WRIGHT & THE WATTS 103rd STREET RHYTHM BAND:  "Express Yourself" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

BOOKER T & THE MG'S:  "Time Is Tight" (Stax, Uptight!  OST)

CURTIS MAYFIELD:  "Freddie's Dead (Theme From Superfly)" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

BETTY WRIGHT:  "Let Me Be Your Lovemaker" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

--

IKE TURNER PRESENTS THE FAMILY VIBES:  "Garbage Man" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

IKE & TINA:  "He's The One" (MOJO, VA:  Raw Soul)

IKE TURNER'S KINGS OF RHYTHM (FEATURING JACKIE BRENTSON):  "You've Got To Lose" (Capricorn, VA:  The Cobra Records Story)

JAMES CARR:  "Pouring Water On A Drowning Man" (MOJO, VA:  Southern Soul)

BETTYE SWANN:  "The Heartache Is Gone" (MOJO, VA:  Raw Soul)

HOWLIN' WOLF:  "Spoonful" (MOJO, VA:  Chess Classics)

--

SONNY PARKER:  "She Set My Soul On Fire" (MCA, VA:  The Duke-Peacock Story)

MOSE ALLISON:  "Parchman Farm" (MOJO, VA:  Here Come The Nice)

RAY CHARLES:  "Mess Around" (MOJO, VA:  Raw Soul)

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE:  "Family Affair" (Sony, The Essential Sly & the Family Stone)

SOUL BROTHERS SIX:  "Some Kind Of Wonderful" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

BENNY SPELLMAN:  "Lipstick Traces" (MOJO, VA:  Cigarettes And Alcohol)

--

BIG MAMA THORNTON:  "Hound Dog" (MCA, VA:  Duke-Peacock's Greatest Hits)

BARRETT STRONG:  "Money (That's What I Want)" (Motown, VA:  Hitsville USA)

ELMORE JAMES:  "Shake Your Moneymaker" (Capricorn, VA:  The Fire/Fury Records Story)

KOOL & THE GANG:  "Jungle Boogie" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

EARTH, WIND & FIRE:  "Shining Star" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS:  "Tighten Up" (Rhino, VA:  In Yo' Face)

--

LEE DORSEY:  "Ya Ya" (Capricorn, VA:  The Fire/Fury Records Story)

ETTA JAMES:  "Tell Mama" (MOJO, VA:  Southern Soul)

GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS:  "Morning, Noon And Night" (Capricorn, VA:  The Fire/Fury Records Story)

MUDDY WATERS:  "Tom Cat" (MOJO, VA:  Chess Classics)

SAM COOKE:  "Chain Gang" (RCA, The Best Of Sam Cooke)

LITTLE ANNE:  "Lean Lanky Daddy" (MOJO, VA:  Raw Soul)

MARLENA SHAW:  "Liberation Conversation" (MOJO, VA:  Chess Classics)

THE INK SPOTS:  "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire" (Masters, Golden Memories)

THE MAR-KAYS:  "Plantation Inn" (MOJO, VA:  Southern Soul)

ROBERT JOHNSON:  "Traveling Riverside Blues" (Columbia, The Complete Recordings)

GUILT-FREE PLEASURES (A Defense Against The Dark Arts): "I Never Thought It Peculiar" by The Monkees

NOTE: This is the 1400th post at Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do).

There is really no such thing as a guilty pleasure in pop music. Unless you happen to love neo-Nazi ditties or glorifications of hatred or violence, I'd say it's okay for you to dig whatever you wanna dig. Yes, even the hits of The Eagles. Why? BECAUSE THEY'RE POP SONGS! Guilt-Free Pleasures (A Defense Against The Dark Arts) celebrates pop songs. The guilty need not apply.

THE MONKEES: "I Never Thought It Peculiar"

I never thought it peculiar
That you never gave me a smile
I wasn't socially suited
To make it worth your while
Oh, no....

Our own paths through the landscape of pop culture are directed by quirks and idiosyncrasies. We may have points of common ground--a hit movie or TV show everyone within our peer group saw, a top record we all heard on the radio in heavy rotation--but there are also less-shiny pop artifacts only some of us know, experienced in less-than-universal circumstances. There are TV shows we loved as kids that no one else seems to even remember much, if at all. There are records our memories insist must have been ubiquitous mega-smashes, because we remember 'em, in spite of the fact that they never occupied a second of AM or FM airspace on any radio known to boy or girl. They are the flowers in the dustbin (as The Sex Pistols would say). The world at large may be indifferent to their charm, but they matter to us.

And I never thought it peculiar
That my heart always beat like a drum
Each time I would see you walk by me
You were as pretty as they come

Within the cavalcade of memory and impression I recall from being a kid in the '60s and into the early '70s, it seems to me that The Monkees had more hits than Billboard chart histories insist. Wasn't "(Theme From) The Monkees" a hit? Howzabout "She?" "Papa Gene's Blues?" "Gonna Buy Me A Dog?" C'mon, "(Look Out) Here Comes Tomorrow" must have been huge; how could it not have been...?!

But these weren't hits, nor were they even singles. They were LP tracks I heard on my brother Art's copies of the first two Monkees albums in 1966 and '67, catchy ditties I likely also heard on The Monkees television series. Their everyday familiarity to me fooled my brain into thinking they were chart-toppers like "Last Train To Clarksville" and "I'm A Believer." 

They were not. Yet I loved them as if they were.

Ain't that peculiar?

As popular as The Monkees had been in the '60s, the rock establishment in the '70s was determined to toss the group and its legacy lock, stock, and little red maracas into the dustbin as well. By the time people tried to tell me that I couldn't possibly like The Monkees, I already loved The Monkees, and I'd already determined that nobody could ever dictate what I could or couldn't like. I've told that story elsewhere, notably in my account of seeing The Monkees live and of wishing to induct them into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The Monkees transcend my concepts of the guilty or even guilt-free pleasure.



In The Monkees' canon, a clunky little number called "I Never Thought It Peculiar" is the closest thing I have to an exception.

Yeah, there aren't an awful lot of folks who love this one. "I Never Thought It Peculiar" was written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the ace tunesmiths who created a number of classic songs for The Monkees, from the TV show's theme through "Last Train To Clarksville," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "She," "Words," and "Valleri," among many others. As performers, Boyce & Hart appeared on the TV shows Bewitched and I Dream Of Jeannie, released a bunch of singles and albums, and scored a # 8 hit in 1967 with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight." 



"I Never Thought It Peculiar" was something of a throwaway. It had been written and recorded during sessions for second album More Of The Monkees, and relegated to the vaults, unreleased. The track had no discernible sense of cool. As sung by heartthrob Davy Jones, it was guileless pop fodder, music hall, the sort of chirpy but forgettable dreamy-eyed luv song a teen-idol pinup could sing sweetly to his smitten little Tiger Beat girl (and vice versa). It didn't appear on a record until it was unceremoniously exhumed to fill dead space at the end of Changes, the 1970 Micky Dolenz-Davy Jones vehicle that was the final album released under the Monkees brand name, after Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith had already left Monkeeshines behind them. It was not a hit record by any definition.



Making my own way through the '70s, I discovered over time that The Monkees had released more albums than the mere two I remembered. There wasn't much information readily available regarding The Monkees' discography, but watching reruns of the TV show proved there were more Monkees songs out there. Through flea markets and friends, I filled in a lot of the gaps.

I had never seen nor heard a copy of Changes until the fall of my freshman year at college in Brockport, NY, late 1977. I was interested in joining the campus radio station WBSU--because, y'know, playing records--and took a tour of the studio. It was there that I saw this Monkees album I didn't know. Changes. 



It was the only Monkees album the station had. I looked it over, but didn't recognize the songs. I figured (correctly) that "Oh My My" probably wasn't the Ringo Starr hit with the same name. I scanned these unfamiliar titles, "I Love You Better" and "99 Pounds" and "Midnight Train," and settled my gaze on the album's final track: "I Never Thought It Peculiar."

And I began to sing that song to myself. I remembered the song from...hey, where the hell could I have remembered that song from...?! I knew I'd never listened to Changes. I was pretty certain the song hadn't been played on the radio, and I was likewise sure it wasn't among the few Monkees records I'd cut off the backs of specially-marked boxes of Post Honey Combs cereal. But I knew the song! I did!

Over the next few weeks, I pestered WBSU DJs with request after request, mixing urgent pleas for oldies by The Dave Clark Five and Paul Revere and the Raiders with fevered demands for the punk/new wave sounds of The Ramones and Blondie. And I often requested "I Never Thought It Peculiar." The first time I heard that on WBSU confirmed my memory of it, from whatever secret place that memory was spawned. 

(My taste in rockin' pop was decidedly out of sync with most of my fellow students, including most of the jocks at WBSU. There were exceptions, but most of 'em disliked my oldies, and really disliked my punk. And they hated The Monkees more than they hated any of the rest.)



Hating The Monkees. I'm sorry, I could never understand how anyone could hate a sound that made me feel so happy. But I did have to concede that "I Never Thought It Peculiar" wasn't particularly hip. It was gawky, square, as awkward as unrequited love. I wrote its goopy lyrics in my notebooks, fighting for space alongside the words from lovelorn gems by The Rubinoos and Freddie and the Dreamers, the presumed soundtrack of an earnest love affair yet to be: a college girl whose eye I would catch, whose hand I would hold, whose lips I would kiss, a girl whose heart would beat next to mine. Peculiar? Infatuation's like that. Love's for damned sure like that, too.

So I sent some flowers to your doorstep
And wrote on the card, "I love you"
I don't know why
But I do know that I
Had a feeling that you liked me, too

Her favorite Monkees song is "Oh My My," from Changes. Peculiar together!

Changes isn't much of an album, but it has its moments. "Oh My My" is a fantastic little chunk of strutting hard pop with a bubbly soul, Dolenz's breathy vocals delivering an AM-ready juggernaut that should have been a hit. "I Love You Better" is agreeably reminiscent of Neil Diamond. The rest is marginal, culminating in the terminally uncool but somehow engaging trifle "I Never Thought It Peculiar," the song that I knew somewhere.

I wouldn't figure out the mystery of my forgotten introduction to "I Never Thought It Peculiar" until a few years later. Although I was old enough (if barely) to watch The Monkees' TV series during its original 1966-68 prime time run, my true immersion in the Monkees experience came when the show was rerun on Saturday mornings from 1969 to 1973. Around 1970, when Changes was released, suits at Colgems Records hoped to capitalize on this TV exposure to spur sales for new Monkees product, so tracks from Changes replaced some of the older tracks previously heard playing behind Monkees romps on individual episodes. One of those freshly-inserted songs was, of course, "I Never Thought It Peculiar." The song sunk its gummy hooks deeply into my ten-year-old psyche, and slumbered there until jolted awake when I was in college.

So I never thought it peculiar
When you stopped to ask me the time
And I don't think it's terribly peculiar
That now, little girl, you are mine

There are no guilty pleasures in pop music. It's pop music ferchrissakes. As I approach my 60th birthday, I'm still the boy who loved The Monkees, the boy who fell in love with girls, the boy who learned that love is defined by those who love, not by those who look on. I'm still a bit peculiar myself, and adamantly unlikely to change. My path remains quirky and idiosyncratic, and I'm still fascinated by flowers in the dustbin. The Sex Pistols wound up covering The Monkees, by the way. These flowers still bloom, for all who care to see. Peculiar? Proudly so.

VERDICT: Innocent, not guilty.



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Fans of pop music will want to check out Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, a new pop compilation benefiting SPARK! Syracuse, the home of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. TIR'N'RR Allstars--Steve Stoeckel, Bruce Gordon, Joel Tinnel, Stacy Carson, Eytan Mirsky, Teresa Cowles, Dan Pavelich, Irene Peña, Keith Klingensmith, and Rich Firestone--offer a fantastic new version of The Kinks' classic "Waterloo Sunset." That's supplemented by eleven more tracks (plus a hidden bonus track), including previously-unreleased gems from The Click Beetles, Eytan Mirsky, Pop Co-Op, Irene Peña, Michael Slawter (covering The Posies), and The Anderson Council (covering XTC), a new remix of "Infinite Soul" by The Grip Weeds, and familiar TIRnRR Fave Raves by Vegas With Randolph, Gretchen's Wheel, The Armoires, and Pacific Soul Ltd. Oh, and that mystery bonus track? It's exquisite. You need this. You're buying it from Futureman.

Hey, Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 100 essays (and then some) about 100 tracks, plus two bonus instrumentals, each one of 'em THE greatest record ever made. An infinite number of records can each be the greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Updated initial information can be seen here: THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (Volume 1)

Our most recent compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is still 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.