Sunday, May 31, 2020

Tonight On THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO




There's a good time comin' on! Four years ago, The Monkees released a fabulous new album called Good Times!, and we intend to celebrate that anniversary by playing a couple of tracks from that record, and maybe a couple of other tracks related to that record. We also have new treats from Vegas With Randolph, Ken Sharp, Nick Piunti & the Complicated Men, The Jangle Band, Captain Wilberforce, and Duncan Reid & the Big Heads, and--as always!--we'll fill the space between our ears with an impressive selection of rockin' pop music from the 1950s to 2020. Whether it's Chuck Berry, Skeeter Davis, The Ramones, Joan Armatrading, The Muffs, or more of The Monkees, good times is what we do. Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/

Saturday, May 30, 2020

BOPPIN's Monthly Day Off



Once a month, Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) takes a break from its ill-advised schedule of daily public posting to offer a private post just for my beloved paid patrons. Patrons will receive June's private post on Monday. Yes, it's another unpublished chapter from that book I may finish writing some day, The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Specifically, it's the GREM! chapter about "Runaway" by Del Shannon. As always, an infinite number of songs can each be the greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns.

Regular daily public posting will resume tomorrow. You can become a patron of Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) for as little as $2 a month: Fund me, baby!

Friday, May 29, 2020

POP-A-LOOZA: The Monkees' GOOD TIMES! (with more links than a barrel of...y'know)



Each week, the pop culture website Pop-A-Looza shares a post from my vast 'n' captivating Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) archives. This week's shared post reprises my review of Good Times!, the fabulous 2016 album by The Monkees.

For the most part, I do not recall the year 2016 with any fondness. We have to say goodbye to a lot of our heroes every year, but there was something about the Grim Reaper's overzealous activity in 2016 that made the year seem even crueler than other years. The death of David Bowie in January prompted me to start a blog; the death of Prince in June made me declare, "2016 is fired." And still that damned Grim Reaper kept a-marchin', and then an Electoral College disaster in November inflicted a national disgrace that will damage us for decades. No, I'm not fond of 2016 at all.

But Good Times! would have been a highlight in any year, even one less miserable than '16. The album pleased me so much that I knew I had to review it.



I wrote a large number of reviews during the twenty-year period I freelanced for Goldmine magazine, 1986-2006 (including reviews of The Monkees' catalog reissues, and of their 1996 reunion album Justus), plus a few reviews for The Syracuse New Times, among others. Over time, I became disinterested in writing reviews, and I stopped doing them even before I finished my freelancing stint with Goldmine. Honestly, I had no intention of ever writing another review. My enthusiasm for Good Times! was far greater than my resistance to the prospect of writing one more review. Good times.

The euphoria surrounding Good Times! also drove me to write separate pieces about each of the three digital singles that preceded its release: "She Makes Me Laugh," "You Bring The Summer," and "Me & Magdalena." I wrote about Canadian radio previewing the album. After I posted my Good Times! review, I wrote a supplemental piece about its bonus tracks. We dedicated the 5/29/2016 This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio to The Monkees and Good Times!, and I re-posted the playlist from our 3/4/2012 Davy Jones memorial show.

This was still not enough. I wanted more of The Monkees. At the end of August, as I thought about how Good Times! fit in The Monkees' overall recorded legacy, I began a four-part series imagining four-, three-, two-, and single-disc Monkees career retrospectives in the wake of Good Times!: Rows Of Houses That Are All The Same, Only True In Fairy Tales, Walking Down The Street, and Hall Of Fame. I became so convinced that The Monkees were finally going to receive their just due that I wrote an imaginary speech celebrating their induction into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. That, uh, didn't happen, so I expressed my disappointment in the chuckleheads in charge of the Hall.

In between, This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio commemorated the 50th anniversary of the debut of The Monkees TV series with 50 Years Of The Monkees. Shortly after that, when Michael Nesmith joined Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork for what was then widely presumed (incorrectly) to be his last-ever in-concert appearance as a Monkee, I offered this coda:

This past Monday was the 50th anniversary of The Monkees TV series, which debuted on NBC at 7:30 (6:30 Central) on September 12th, 1966. The series ran for just two seasons. The made-for-TV rock 'n' roll group didn't merely blur the line between fantasy and fact--they variously scuffed it, defaced it, ignored it, piddled on it, and said rude things about it. They made records. They did concert tours. They made a movie. They made a TV special. They broke up. They reunited. They transcended any reasonable expectation of what they could or couldn't be. In the words of Michael Nesmith, "We're The Monkees. That's all we've ever had to be."



In the time passed since this review was written four years ago, we lost Peter Tork in 2019, and producer Adam Schlesinger this year. Damn you, Grim Reaper. Sometimes 2020 reminds me of 2016, though I'm at least hoping for a better November this time around. Amidst this year's pandemic misery and uncertain future, The Monkees gave us a splendid new live album, The Mike & Micky Show. Good times are good things, especially in the bleakest years.

And The Monkees were the best thing about 2016. My review of their 2016 album Good Times! is this week's Boppin' Pop-A-Looza.



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

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 134 essays about 134 tracks, 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).


Thursday, May 28, 2020

The Last Ride Of The Copperhead Kid

This short story was my first published professional fiction. It appeared in the AHOY Comics title The Second Coming # 5, which reached comic book stores on November 27th, 2019. It was the third of four short stories I sold to AHOY in 2019, but the first to see print. I am proud to finally present it here at Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do). A link to its sort-of sequel appears after the story.

My first Western. I wrote it because I wanted to write a Western. I betcha my Dad would have liked it. Saddle up.

Illustration by Ed Catto
THE LAST RIDE OF THE COPPERHEAD KID
by Carl Cafarelli

A gunslinger can't ride forever. The trail ends some time, even for the fastest gun in the West. Some trails end in old age. For most gunslingers, the trail ends in the grave.

Most gunslingers weren't The Copperhead Kid.

The dime novels said the Kid was the fastest there was. Anyone who challenged him learned just how fast the Kid was, and the Kid put them in the ground, every one of 'em. Those stories also said the Kid was a hero, riding from town to town on his faithful horse Rattler, helping the innocent, bringing justice to the wicked.

But the Kid was just a man. He rode whatever horse he could find or steal, always on the run, always riding, ever since he was indeed a kid. He was older now. He'd been on the run since he was sixteen, just after the war between the States. That was twenty years ago. His copper hair was starting to gray. Everyone still called him Kid.

The Kid was an outlaw. He didn't rob banks, didn't terrorize the weak. He kept to himself when he could. When he was cornered, he was fast enough. He never killed anyone who didn't deserve to die.

The first four men the Kid killed sure had it coming: deserters, on the run themselves. They made their murderin' way to the Kid's town of Lawton, Texas, tried to take over, pretty much succeeded. The Kid was away, delivering orders to customers of his family's general store. The Kid's Pa stood up to the four sidewinders, and paid the price. The Kid's Ma screamed at the killers, and the dirty dogs killed her, too. They took the Kid's sister, with evil intent, and she died trying to get away.

The Kid returned to town. He couldn't mourn. The ache in his sixteen-year-old soul drove him on. The Kid tracked two of the men to the whorehouse, and he cut 'em down. The Kid found the third sleepin' off a drunk, and roused him so he could see the Kid's gun as it ended him. The Kid faced the fourth in a showdown. The Kid was fast. The sidewinder never had a chance. The Kid's justice was swift and final.

But sidewinders or not, the Kid had killed four men, three of 'em unarmed. That made the Kid an outlaw. The deputy woulda let him go. But the sheriff was in cahoots with the sidewinders, and he wanted the Kid strung up. The Kid grabbed his Pa's hat, his Ma's red scarf, and his sister's plain but cherished cheap tin brooch, and he rode. He rode as far as horses could take him.

For twenty years The Kid rode and fought, rested when he could, kept going when he had to. He drank. He loved, in his fashion, never for long. He had to keep riding. Along the way, he helped some people. I ain't no hero, he said. But he couldn't stand bullies. He wouldn't allow any family to suffer like his family suffered. The Kid was fast. Make room for more sidewinders underground. The Kid rode on.

There was a price on the Kid's head. Dead or alive. Bounty hunters tried to catch him. The disgraced sheriff from Lawton dogged him for all that time. The Kid always got away.

The Kid's wide-ranging path brought him to Southwest Missouri. He and his horse stopped by a lake to rest for the night. Half-asleep, vulnerable, the Kid bolted upright, too late. Caught! After all these years, the ex-sheriff and his deputy finally had the drop on The Copperhead Kid.

"Been a long time, boy." The Sheriff spat on the ground and grinned his toothless grin. "Finally gonna see you get strung up."

The Kid was fast. The sheriff didn't even see the Kid draw, didn't have time to feel the hole in his own damned forehead. The sheriff joined his sidewinder pals in Hell.

The deputy didn't shoot. The Kid and the deputy stood facing each other, guns drawn, a Mexican stand-off. The deputy shifted his feet, not noticing that he was disturbing a copperhead--a real copperhead, a poisonous snake about to strike at the deputy's heel.

The Kid fired. The snake's head was ripped from its body. The deputy was safe. And that was the Kid's last bullet.

The Kid raised his hands. "Reckon ya finally got me, deputy."

The deputy holstered his gun. "Twenty years, Kid. I wasted all that time of my life chasin' you alongside that fool sheriff. You didn't deserve to be hunted. You wasn't no outlaw. I seen the things you done. You're a hero, Kid."


The Kid sneered.  "I ain't no hero."


"Yeah you are, you damned idjit. Only reason I kept on your trail was to make sure the sheriff didn't get you in the end. If it came to it, I woulda blown that fool's head clean off before I'd let him hurt you."

"What now? You gonna take me in, or let me go?"

"Kid, even with the sheriff on his way to the devil now, bounty hunters ain't gonna stop chasin' after that price on your red head. We gotta make them think you're dead."

The deputy held out his hand.

The Kid sighed. He took off his Pa's hat and his Ma's red scarf. I'm sorry, Pa. I'm sorry, Ma. The Kid handed them over to the deputy. "I'm keepin' the brooch, deputy."

The deputy nodded. He took the hat and the scarf, and he motioned the Kid to his horse. "Ride, Kid."

And The Copperhead Kid rode away for the last time.

No one knows what became of The Copperhead Kid. Headlines and history claim he was killed in Southwest Missouri. We know that ain't so.  Some say he moved East, settled down, had a family, started a life where he didn't have to ride anymore. They say he never drew his guns again. The Kid was fast. It was time to slow down. The last ride was over. The Copperhead Kid was no more.

Art by Ed Catto
AFTERWORD: Although The Copperhead Kid had ceased his long ride, his story lived on. In the 1930s, a new breed of urban vigilante took up the name of The Copperhead. You can read all about that here: THE COPPERHEAD STRIKES!

Art by Shane White
And that story, in turn, resumes with a tale of a secret agent in 1965. Alas, "The Copperhead Affair" is still a secret ...

...for now.



TIP THE BLOGGER: CC's Tip Jar!

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

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 134 essays about 134 tracks, 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).

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

10 SONGS: 200 Songs!



My 10 Songs series made its debut here on January 14th of this year, and it's been a Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) fixture ever since. Based on a suggestion from Don Valentine of I Don't Hear A Single, 10 Songs has been a weekly opportunity for me to cherry-pick 10 songs I feel like writing about, almost always songs selected from that week's This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio playlist. It usually runs on Tuesday, occasionally runs on Wednesday when scheduling demands it, and last week it ran on Tuesday and Wednesday to accommodate my wish to do both a Little Richard memorial 10 Songs and a regular 10 Songs.



So yesterday's post was 10 Songs # 21. While there have been a total of 210 song entries so far, I used some of those songs more than once. With this week's post, 10 Songs has now featured 200 different tracks. Here's a list of all of them, organized alphabetically by artist:



1.1.4.5.: She Couldn’t Say No [2/25/2020]
2. HERB ALPERT AND THE TIJUANA BRASS: Mexican Road Race [2/25/2020]
3. THE ANIMALS: Inside—Looking Out [2/11/2020]
4. THE ANIMALS: It’s My Life [1/28/2020, 3/3/2020]
5. JOAN ARMATRADING: Me Myself I [3/24/2020]
6. P. P. ARNOLD: Angel Of The Morning [2/25/2020]
7. P. P. ARNOLD: The First Cut Is The Deepest [5/26/2020]
8. ARTFUL DODGER: It’s Over [3/24/2020]
9. THE AVENGERS: We Are The One [3/3/2020]
10. THE B-52'S: 52 Girls [2/4/2020]
11. BADFINGER: Baby Blue [4/28/2020]
12. THE BANDWAGON: Breakin’ Down The Walls Of Heartache [4/14/2020]
13. THE BANGLES: Tell Me [2/11/2020]
14. ANTON BARBEAU: Jingle Jangle [1/21/2020]
15. JIM BASNIGHT: Best Lover In The World [2/25/2020]
16. JIM BASNIGHT: This Is Where I Belong [5/26/2020]
17. THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Saturday Night [5/26/2020]
18. THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Sweet Virginia [2/11/2020]
19. THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Who’ll Be My Keeper [1/28/2020]
20. THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Wouldn’t You Like It [3/17/2020]
21. THE BEATLES: For No One [3/24/2020]
22. THE BEATLES: Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey [5/19/2020]
23. THE BEATLES: I Should Have Known Better [4/28/2020]
24. THE BEATLES: I Want To Hold Your Hand [3/30/2020]
25. THE BEATLES: I’m Down [5/19/2020]
26. THE BEATLES: Long Tall Sally [5/19/2020]
27. THE BEATLES: No Reply [5/13/2020]
28. BILL BERRY: 1-800-Colonoscopy [3/10/2020]
29. CHUCK BERRY: All Aboard [2/11/2020]
30. CHUCK BERRY: Johnny B. Goode [1/21/2020]
31. THE BEVIS FROND: He’d Be A Diamond [3/3/2020]
32. BIG HELLO: Action Now [3/30/2020]
33. BLONDIE: X-Offender [3/17/2020]
34. BLUE OYSTER CULT: This Ain’t The Summer Of Love [2/4/2020]
35. BONEY M: Painter Man [1/14/2020)
36. THE BOOKENDS: She’s Got It [5/5/2020]
37. THE BROTHERS STEVE: We Got The Hits [5/5/2020]
38. BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD: Flying On The Ground Is Wrong [4/21/2020]
39. MARY-CHAPIN CARPENTER: Never Had It So Good [3/17/2020]
40. MICHAEL CARPENTER AND MICHAEL OLIVER: It Only Hurts When I Breathe [5/20/2020]
41. ROSANNE CASH: Pink Bedroom [1/28/2020]
42. ANNY CELSI: Sideways Rain [1/28/2020]
43. DAVE CLARK AND FRIENDS: If You’ve Got A Little Love To Give [5/5/2020]
44. THE DAVE CLARK FIVE: Glad All Over [5/26/2020]
45. THE CLICK BEETLES: If Not Know Then When [1/28/2020]
46. PAUL COLLINS: Glittering Gold [1/21/2020]
47. THE CONTOURS: Do You Love Me [2/18/2020]
48. THE CONTOURS: It’s So Hard Being A Loser [1/21/2020]
49. THE CORNER LAUGHERS: Sisters Of The Pollen [5/5/2020]
50. COTTON MATHER: The Book Of Too Late Changes [4/28/2020]
51. SUSAN COWSILL: River Of Love [3/24/2020]
52. CULTURE CLUB: Church Of The Poison Mind [5/13/2020]
53. THE DAMNED: Wait For The Blackout [4/21/2020]
54. THE DARLING BUDS: Let’s Go Round There [2/4/2020]
55. DEF LEPPARD: American Girl [2/25/2020]
56. DOUG DEREK AND THE HOAX: Bobby’s Gotta Get Back To Boston [2/11/2020]
57. NEIL DIAMOND: Solitary Man [4/7/2020]
58. JOE DIFFIE: Bigger Than The Beatles [4/14/2020]
59. DIRTY LOOKS: Let Go [5/13/2020]
60. THE DODGERS: Don’t Know What You’re Doing [1/14/2020]
61. MICKY DOLENZ: Livin’ On Lies [2/25/2020]
62. THE DOORS: Touch Me [3/30/2020]
63. THE DRIFTERS: Sweets For My Sweet [4/21/2020]
64. EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS: Do Anything You Wanna Do [2/18/2020]
65. DAVE EDMUNDS: Queen Of Hearts [5/20/2020]
66. THE EQUALS: Baby Come Back [5/26/2020]
67. EURYTHMICS: Would I Lie To You [1/14/2020]
68. THE FAST: Kids Just Wanna Dance [2/18/2020]
69. RICH FIRESTONE: If The Sun Doesn’t Shine [4/28/2020, 5/26/2020]
70. FIRST AID KIT: America [3/24/2020]
71. THE FIRST CLASS: Beach Baby [5/20/2020]
72. THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: First Plane Home [5/26/2020]
73. THE FLASHCUBES: It’s You Tonight [3/17/2020]
74. THE FLASHCUBES: No Promise [5/5/2020]
75. THE FLIRTATIONS: Nothing But A Heartache [4/21/2020]
76. FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE: Stacy’s Mom [4/14/2020]
77. THE FOUR TOPS: Reach Out I’ll Be There [3/30/2020]
78. THE FOUR TOPS: Standing In The Shadows Of Love [5/5/2020]
79. THE GEORGIA SATELLITES: Keep Your Hands To Yourself [3/30/2020]
80. THE GIN BLOSSOMS: Allison Road [3/17/2020]
81. THE GO-GO’S: Vacation [3/24/2020]
82. HOLLY GOLIGHTLY: Time Will Tell [2/18/2020]
83. THE GRIP WEEDS: For Pete’s Sake (Stay At Home!) [5/13/2020]
84. HARMONIC DIRT: Maybe [2/11/2020]
85. GEORGE HARRISON: What Is Life [4/21/2020]
86. THE HEARTBREAKERS: Love Comes In Spurts [5/20/2020]
87. HOLLY AND JOEY: I Got You Babe [2/18/2020]
88. HÜSKER DÜ: Eight Miles High [5/20/2020]
89. THE ISLEY BROTHERS: It’s Your Thing [4/28/2020]
90. THE ISLEY BROTHERS: You Walk Your Way [1/28/2020]
91. IVY: Edge Of The Ocean [4/14/2020]
92. THE JACKSON FIVE: I’ll Be There [2/4/2020]
93.THE JAM: The Eton Rifles [5/5/2020]
94. JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS: I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll [4/14/2020]
95. THE JIVE FIVE: What Time Is It? [5/5/2020]
96. DAVID JOHANSEN: Frenchette [3/24/2020]
97. JUSTINE AND THE UNCLEAN: Vengeance [4/21/2020]
98. JUSTINE’S BLACK THREADS: Needles And Pins [4/28/2020]
99. THE KENNEDYS: Safe Until Tomorrow [3/24/2020]
100. BEN E. KING: Stand By Me [3/24/2020]
101 THE KINKS: Dedicated Follower Of Fashion [2/4/2020]
102. THE KINKS: See My Friends [4/28/2020]
103. THE KINKS: You Really Got Me [3/17/2020]
104. KISS: Anything For My Baby [2/4/2020]
105. KISS: Calling Dr. Love [3/17/2020]
106. KISS: Shout It Out Loud [4/28/2020]
107. GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS: Midnight Train To Georgia [4/21/2020]
108. LED ZEPPELIN: Communication Breakdown [4/28/2020]
109. JOHN LENNON: Slippin’ And Slidin’ [5/19/2020]
110. LITTLE RICHARD: The Girl Can’t Help It [5/19/2020]
111. LITTLE RICHARD: Good Golly Miss Molly [5/19/2020]
112. LITTLE RICHARD: Ready Teddy [5/19/2020]
113. LITTLE RICHARD: Tutti Frutti [5/19/2020]
114. MARY LOU LORD: Right On 'Till Dawn [1/14/2020]
115. THE LOVIN’ SPOONFUL: Summer In The City [3/3/2020]
116. NICK LOWE: So It Goes [4/21/2020]
117. ROB MARTINEZ: All I Ever Wanted [1/21/2020]
118. CAROLYNE MAS: In The Rain [1/28/2020, 5/26/2020]
119. CAROLYNE MAS: Quote Goodbye Quote [2/25/2020]
120. THE MC5: Kick Out The Jams [3/3/2020]
121. PAUL McCARTNEY: Hope Of Deliverance [4/7/2020]
122. ALAN MERRILL: Everyday All Night Stand [4/17/2020]
123. MIDNIGHT OIL: The Dead Heart [1/28/2020]
124. JONI MITCHELL: Free Man In Paris [2/18/2020]
125. MONDELLO: Sherilyn [4/21/2020]
126. THE MONKEES: A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You [2/18/2020]
127. THE MONKEES: The Door Into Summer [4/14/2020, 5/20/2020]
128. THE MONKEES: For Pete’s Sake [2/4/2020]
129. THE MONKEES: Pleasant Valley Sunday [3/10/2020]
130. MANDY MOORE: I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week [5/13/2020]
131. MÖTORHEAD: RAMONES [5/20/2020]
132. MR. ENCRYPTO: The Last Time [a cappella] [4/7/2020]
133. THE MUFFS: On My Own [1/21/2020]
134. THE MYNAH BIRDS: I Got You (In My Soul) [5/20/2020]
135. THE MYNAH BIRDS: It’s My Time [5/13/2020]
136. JOHNNY NASH: I Can See Clearly Now [4/7/2020]
137. THE NEW MONKEES: One Of The Boys [3/10/2020]
138. MARYKATE O’NEIL: I’m Ready For My Luck To Turn Around [2/11/2020, 2/25/2020, 3/24/2020, 4/7/2020, 4/28/2020]
139. THE PALEY BROTHERS AND THE RAMONES: Come On Let’s Go [5/5/2020]
140. THE PANDORAS: It’s About Time [3/30/2020]
141. THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: I Woke Up In Love This Morning [5/13/2020]
142. THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: Somebody Wants To Love You [1/14/2020]
143. SAM PHILLIPS: Baby I Can’t Please You [1/14/2020]
144. PINK FLOYD: Wish You Were Here [4/7/2020]
145. THE POLICE: Don’t Stand So Close To Me [3/30/2020]
146. THE POLICE: Roxanne [2/25/2020]
147. POP CO-OP: Underworld [3/30/2020]
148. POP CO-OP: You Don’t Love Me Anymore [3/10/2020]
149. POPDUDES: Ridin’ In My Car [3/10/2020, 5/20/2020]
150. THE POPPEES: She’s Got It [5/19/2020]
151. PRINCE: I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man [5/13/2020]
152. SUZI QUATRO: Keep A-Knockin’ [5/19/2020]
153. RADIO BIRDMAN: You’re Gonna Miss Me [2/18/2020]
154. THE RAMONES: I Don’t Want To Grow Up [1/21/2020]
155. THE RAMONES: I Don’t Want To Walk Around With You [3/17/2020]
156. THE RAMONES: I Just Want To Have Something To Do [3/10/2020]
157. THE RARE BREED: Beg, Borrow And Steal [1/28/2020]
158. THE ROLLING STONES: Get Off Of My Cloud [5/5/2020]
159. LINDA RONSTADT: How Do I Make You? [3/17/2020]
160. RUN-DMC: Walk This Way [3/3/2020]
161. RUSH: Circumstances [1/14/2020]
162. THE SAINTS: (I'm) Stranded [3/3/2020]
163. SCREEN TEST: Just Like Me [4/14/2020]
164. SCREEN TEST: Make Something Happen [2/18/2020]
165. DEL SHANNON: Runaway [3/10/2020]
166. KEN SHARP: Break Down The Walls [1/21/2020]
167. KEN SHARP: Girl [2/11/2020]
168. THE SMITHEREENS: Cigarette [4/7/2020]
169. THE SOFT BOYS: I Wanna Destroy You [2/4/2020]
170. RONNIE SPECTOR AND THE E STREET BAND: Say Goodbye To Hollywood [1/28/2020]
171. THE SPINNERS: My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) [2/18/2020]
172. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Girls In Their Summer Clothes [5/26/2020]
173. SQUEEZE: Tempted [3/17/2020]
174. THE STEMS: Never Be Friends [3/3/2020, 5/20/2020]
175. STEVE STOECKEL AND HIS THIS IS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RADIO ALL-STARS: I Could Be Good For You [3/30/2020]
176. DONNA SUMMER: Hot Stuff [3/10/2020]
177. DONNA SUMMER: I Feel Love [2/25/2020]
178. THE SUPREMES: You Keep Me Hangin’ On [2/11/2020]
179. TALKING HEADS: Life During Wartime [4/7/2020]
180. THE TEARJERKERS: Syracuse Summer [5/26/2020]
181. WILLIE MAE “BIG MAMA” THORNTON: Hound Dog [5/13/2020]
182. TIN TIN: Toast And Marmalade For Tea [2/4/2020]
183. TINTED WINDOWS: We Got Something [4/14/2020]
184. TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS: Reggae Got Soul [1/14/2020]
185. THE TOYS: May My Heart Be Cast Into Stone [3/3/2020]
186. TRANSLATOR: Everywhere That I’m Not [4/7/2020]
187. THE TWEAKERS: Super Secret Bonus Track [5/13/2020]
188. UB40: Red Red Wine [4/7/2020]
189. UTOPIA: I Just Want To Touch You [3/30/2020]
190. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: Rock And Roll [3/10/2020]
191. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: Sunday Morning [1/14/2020]
192. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: Who Loves The Sun [4/21/2020]
193. THE WEEKLINGS: Change Your Mind [1/14/2020]
194. WILD KISSES: Feels So Fine [3/10/2020]
195. STEVIE WONDER: I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) [2/4/2020]
196. THE WONDERS: That Thing You Do! [4/14/2020]
197. X-RAY SPEX: Oh Bondage! Up Yours! [1/22/2020]
198. THE YARDBIRDS: Heart Full Of Soul [3/3/2020]
199. THE YARDBIRDS: Train Kept A-Rollin’ [2/11/2020]
200. THE ZOMBIES: This Will Be Our Year [1/21/2020]



The Beatles (of course!) have the most individual songs listed, while Marykate O'Neil's "I'm Ready For My Luck To Turn Around" has scored more entries than any other individual track. "For Pete's Sake" is (I think) the only song represented in two different versions, the original by The Monkees and the recent cover by The Grip Weeds.

I would offer you some sort of coming-attractions clue about what to expect in future weekly editions of 10 Songs, but I won't know any of that until I write them. The first step in the process of selecting next week's 10 begins this afternoon, when Dana and I put together this week's This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio playlist. As always: stay tuned.


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Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 134 essays about 134 tracks, 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).