With current work completed on my forthcoming [REDACTED] book, I've started turning my attention back to my long-threatened other book, The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). My first order of business really ought to be finding a new agent; I haven't even started looking for new representation since parting company (reluctantly but amicably) with my previous agent. But working on the book itself is something I can do in the here and now.
In the past two and a half weeks, I've completed GREM! chapters about Tracey Ullman, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Arthur Conley, the Dixie Cups, Ike and Tina Turner, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Marykate O'Neil, and the Beatles' "Revolution," restored previously-completed Love and Yoko Ono chapters, worked a little bit more on a still-unfinished chapter about the O'Jays, and tweaked the Linda Ronstadt chapter from a completed piece about the Stone Poneys' "Different Drum" into a completed piece about Ronstadt's "You're No Good" instead.
As of my last public GREM! update in September, the Dixie Cups, Yoko Ono, Love, and Arthur Conley chapters were not part of the book's Table of Contents; they are now. I've removed previously-planned chapters about the Police, the Shocking Blue, Television, and Peter, Paul and Mary. I almost restored my chapter about the Romantics, but it's not in the book's current blueprint. Completed chapters about the Buzzcocks, the Raspberries, the Dandy Warhols, the Castaways, Deep Purple, the Only Ones, Nick Lowe, Wanda Jackson, and Al Hirt that were already out of the book's TOC remain out of the book now, though any one (or more) of 'em could still be taken off the bench and placed into the line-up. Everything's in play until the book's done.
Yeah, maybe even still in play after I think the book's done. I tweak therefore I am. Here's what my working Table of Contents looks like today:
THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (VOLUME 1)
Table of Contents
FOREWORD
DISCLAIMERS AND DECLARATIONS (A User's Guide To The Greatest Record Ever Made!)
A Fistful Of 45s
OVERTURE THE RAMONES: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?
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. ELVIS PRESLEY: Heartbreak Hotel
6. WILLIE MAE "BIG MAMA" THORNTON: Hound Dog
7. PATTI SMITH: Gloria
8. LITTLE RICHARD: The Girl Can't Help It
9. NEIL DIAMOND: Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show
10. CRAZY ELEPHANT: Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'
11. WILSON PICKETT: In The Midnight Hour
12. THE HOLLIES: I Can't Let Go
13. MELANIE WITH THE EDWIN HAWKINS SINGERS: Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)
14. SAM COOKE: Chain Gang
15. PETULA CLARK: Downtown
16. ARTHUR ALEXANDER: Soldier Of Love
17. TRANSLATOR: Everywhere That I'm Not
18. LESLEY GORE: You Don't Own Me
19. THE SHANGRI-LAS: Leader Of The Pack
20. THE SHIRELLES: Will You Love Me Tomorrow
21. THE RAMONES: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
22. AMY RIGBY: Dancing With Joey Ramone
23. PINK FLOYD: Wish You Were Here
24. GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS: Midnight Train To Georgia
25.THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR: I Fought The Law
26. MERLE HAGGARD: Mama Tried
27. THE TEMPTATIONS: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
28. BUDDY HOLLY: Peggy Sue/Everyday
29. JOHNNY NASH: I Can See Clearly Now
30. ELTON JOHN: Saturday Night's Alright For Fightin'
31. SUZI QUATRO: I May Be Too Young
32. ALICE COOPER: School's Out
33. THE RARE BREED/THE OHIO EXPRESS: Beg, Borrow And Steal
34. THE DIXIE CUPS: Iko Iko
35. ARTHUR CONLEY: Sweet Soul Music
36. OTIS REDDING: (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
37. ARETHA FRANKLIN: Respect
INTERLUDE The Monkees Play Their Own Instruments
38. THE MONKEES: Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)
39. PRINCE: When You Were Mine
40. THE 13th FLOOR ELEVATORS: You're Gonna Miss Me
41. THE ROLLING STONES: Get Off Of My Cloud
42. PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS: Just Like Me
43. BOB DYLAN: Like A Rolling Stone
44. THE KINGSMEN: Louie, Louie
45. BARON DAEMON AND THE VAMPIRES: The Transylvania Twist
46. NELSON RIDDLE: The Batman Theme
47. THE MARVELETTES: I'll Keep Holding On
48. THE CREATION: Making Time
49. THE WHO: I Can't Explain
50. TODD RUNDGREN: Couldn't I Just Tell You
51. SHOES: Tomorrow Night
52. THE FLASHCUBES: No Promise
53. DONNA SUMMER: I Feel Love
54. SMOKEY ROBINSON AND THE MIRACLES: The Tears Of A Clown
55. LOVE: 7 And 7 Is
56. JUDAS PRIEST: Heading Out To The Highway
57. ABBA: Dancing Queen
58. THE NEW YORK DOLLS: Personality Crisis
59. MILLIE SMALL: My Boy Lollipop
60. THE EASYBEATS: Friday On My Mind
61. IKE AND TINA TURNER: River Deep Mountain High
62. THE RONETTES: Be My Baby
63. RONNIE SPECTOR AND THE E STREET BAND: Say Goodbye To Hollywood
64. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Girls In Their Summer Clothes
65. KISS: Shout It Out Loud
66. THE LEFT BANKE: Walk Away, Renee
67. THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Rock And Roll Love Letter
68. THE KNICKERBOCKERS: Lies
69. THE WONDERS: That Thing You Do!
70. THE GO-GO'S: We Got The Beat
71. THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL: Summer In The City
72. VAN HALEN: Dance The Night Away
73. PEGGY LEE: Fever
INTERLUDE The Tottenham Sound Of...The Beatles?!
74. THE DAVE CLARK FIVE: Any Way You Want It
75. JAMES BROWN: Please, Please, Please
76. GRAND FUNK: We're An American Band
77. THE VELVELETTES: He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'
78. WAR: Low Rider
79. THE FIRST CLASS: Beach Baby
80. THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Summer Breeze
81. THE RUBINOOS: I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
82. THE PANDORAS: It's About Time
83. P. P. ARNOLD: The First Cut Is The Deepest
84. BIG STAR: September Gurls
85. SAMMY AMBROSE: This Diamond Ring
86. PAUL COLLINS: Walking Out On Love
87. LINDA RONSTADT: You're No Good
88. THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET: Take Five
ENTR'ACTE THE BEATLES: Yesterday
89. THE BEATLES: Revolution
90. THE MC5: Kick Out The Jams
91. THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS: Time Has Come Today
92. MARVIN GAYE: I Heard It Through The Grapevine
93. RAY CHARLES: Hit The Road Jack
94. THE MUFFS: Saying Goodbye
95. YOKO ONO: Kiss Kiss Kiss
96. THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Shake Some Action
97. THE CARPENTERS: Only Yesterday
98. MATERIAL ISSUE: Kim The Waitress
99. THE 5TH DIMENSION: Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In (The Flesh Failures)
100. THE JACKSON FIVE: I'll Be There
101. SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE: Everybody Is A Star
102. JUDY COLLINS: Both Sides Now
103. EMITT RHODES: Fresh As A Daisy
104. THE BANGLES: Live
105. THE SEARCHERS: Hearts In Her Eyes
106. THE HUMAN SWITCHBOARD: (Say No To) Saturday's Girl
107. THE BYRDS: I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better
INTERLUDE Rick James! Neil Young! Motown Sensations THE MYNAH BIRDS!
108. RICK JAMES: Super Freak
109. THE FLIRTATIONS: Nothing But A Heartache
110. THE SPINNERS: I'll Be Around
111. TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: American Girl
112. THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: I Woke Up In Love This Morning
113. LED ZEPPELIN: Communication Breakdown
114. EDDIE COCHRAN: Somethin' Else
115. THE BANDWAGON: Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache
116. DON HENLEY: The Boys Of Summer
117. THE CLASH: Train In Vain (Stand By Me)
118. BEN E. KING: Stand By Me
119. GENE PITNEY: Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa
120. RUFUS: Tell Me Something Good
121. THE SPONGETONES: (My Girl) Maryanne
122. THE TRAMMPS: Disco Inferno
123. HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES: Don't Leave Me This Way
124. GRANDMASTER AND MELLE MEL: White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)
125. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: I'll Be Your Mirror
126. DEL SHANNON: Runaway
127. THE EVERLY BROTHERS: Gone, Gone, Gone
128. THE COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: St. Valentine's Day Massacre
129. FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS: Do The Freddie
130. SAM AND DAVE: Soul Man
131. BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY: Piece Of My Heart
132. THE MAYTALS: Pressure Drop
133. T. REX: 20th Century Boy
134. HEART: Kick It Out
135. THE RUNAWAYS: Cherry Bomb
136. AMERICA: Sister Golden Hair
137. THE KINKS: Waterloo Sunset
138. THE KINKS: You Really Got Me
139. HOLLY GOLIGHTLY: Time Will Tell
140. THE SMITHEREENS: Behind The Wall Of Sleep
141. THE COWSILLS: She Said To Me
142. ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS: (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
143. THE FOUR TOPS: Reach Out I'll Be There
INTERLUDE Old Time Rock 'n' Roll
144. THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM: 2 + 2 = ?
145. THE JIVE FIVE: What Time Is It?
146. LULU: To Sir, With Love [Museum Outings Montage]
147. FREDA PAYNE: Band Of Gold
148. EARTH, WIND AND FIRE WITH THE EMOTIONS: Boogie Wonderland
149. THE CONTOURS: Do You Love Me
150. BLONDIE: (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear
151. THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS: All For Swinging You Around
152. WHAM!: Freedom
153. THE SUPREMES: You Keep Me Hangin' On
154. THE BEACH BOYS: God Only Knows
155. JOAN ARMATRADING: Me Myself I
156. THE SELECTER: On My Radio
157. TRACEY ULLMAN: They Don't Know
158. MANNIX: Highway Lines
159. THE DRIFTERS: On Broadway
160. FIRST AID KIT: America
161. THE FIVE STAIRSTEPS: O-o-h Child
162. SOLOMON BURKE: Everybody Needs Somebody To Love
163. THE JAM: That's Entertainment
164. THE COASTERS: Yakety Yak
165. CHEAP TRICK: Surrender
166. DAVID BOWIE: Life On Mars?
167. THE O'JAYS: Put Your Hands Together
168. THE GRATEFUL DEAD: Uncle John's Band
169. EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS: Do Anything You Wanna Do
170. THE PRETENDERS: Back On The Chain Gang
171. JOAN JETT: Bad Reputation
172. STEVIE WONDER: I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)
173. MARYKATE O'NEIL: I'm Ready For My Luck To Turn Around
174. EYTAN MIRSKY: This Year's Gonna Be Our Year
175. THE JAYHAWKS: I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
An Infinite Number
INTERLUDE Underrating The Beatles
ENCORE! THE BEATLES: Rain
ENCORE!! THE T-BONES: No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)
Cruisin' Music
CODA THE RAMONES: Blitzkrieg Bop
AFTERWORD
An infinite number of songs can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. I'm feeling an increasing temptation to include a chapter about the Animals; we'll see.
At this writing, the chapters still in need of a completed first draft are ABBA, Millie Small, Peggy Lee, the Velvelettes, War, the Pandoras, P. P. Arnold, the Chambers Brothers, Ray Charles, the Muffs, the 5th Dimension, Judy Collins, the Bangles, Don Henley, Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Maytals, the Cowsills, Earth, Wind and Fire with the Emotions, Blondie, the New Pornographers, the Supremes, Cheap Trick, the O'Jays, and the Pretenders.
The rest of it? Done, at least in draft form. Now, I need to finish the rest, and secure some representation for it, not necessarily in that order. It's time to head back into the infinite.
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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
I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl.
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