10 Songs is a weekly list of ten songs that happen to be on my mind at the moment. The lists are usually dominated by songs played on the previous Sunday night's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. The idea was inspired by Don Valentine of the essential blog I Don't Hear A Single.
This week's edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1106.
JOAN ARMATRADING: Eating The Bear
Some days the bear will eat you. Some days you eat the bear. All due respect to the incredible Ms. Joan Armatrading, but there are days when I believe this even-handed ratio to be overly optimistic regarding our collective and individual odds of surviving wholesale consumption by ravenous ursines. I don't think the Ranger's gonna like this, Yogi.
MIKE BROWNING: Picture Book
In times of upheaval, a glance through the old picture book can offer comfort, a reminder of days that seemed more stable, less burdened by the weight of the world. Mike Browning made his TIRnRR debut last year, with an ace li'l pop tune called "We're Hanging Out." He's accumulated additional spinnage throughout 2021, mostly with tracks from his current covers album Class Act. Yes, he's strong to the finidge cuz he gets some spinnage. His take on the Kinks' "Picture Book" has been a particular favorite.
WENDI DUNLAP: Season Of Loss
Yep. Pass the eggnog. Wendi Dunlap has some catharsis cued up.
THE HOOTERS: Day By Day
Intrepid TIRnRR listener Dave Murray cites the Hooters' dynamic 1985 track "Day By Day" as an example of power pop. I...don't hear it that way. It doesn't lean forward in the specific manner I think oughtta be a prerequisite characteristic of a power pop record. And, I mean, c'mon, brothers and sisters! Mandolins?! There are no mandolins in power pop, fercryinoutloud!
But that's a label. We use labels to classify and achieve greater understanding, but they are ultimately nothing more than words; they do matter, but they don't matter more than the music they try to describe. I won't concede my conviction that power pop has recognizable parameters--parameters that include the Who, the Ramones, the Raspberries, and "Please Please Me" by the Beatles, and don't include no mandolin-playin' imposters--but I will eagerly agree that there are fantastic, fantastic records that aren't power pop, but are still great pop by any other name.
Any OTHER name.
LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: Listen, The Snow Is Falling
Oh, this is so, so pretty. Yoko Ono's original version of "Listen, The Snow Is Falling" was the B-side to John & Yoko's holiday perennial "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," but I don't think I heard it before, like, last week. These things take time. Librarians With Hickeys have done a wonderful job in covering this, making it more proudly pop while retaining and honoring the essential spirit of the source material. Though just the virtual B-side of Librarians With Hickeys' current digital single "Jingle Jangle Heart," we will be playing it again on next week's show. Listen.
YOKO ONO: Kiss Kiss Kiss
Playing Librarians With Hickeys' Yoko cover made me also want to program my favorite Yoko track, "Kiss Kiss Kiss." It was the B-side to John's "(Just Like) Starting Over," and I've always preferred the Yoko song to the John song in this case.
BARRY MANILOW: Some Kind Of Friend
Long-time TIRnRR fans may remember how shocked they were the first time we played a Bob Seger song, given the extent to which Seger had become this show's cartoon bogeyman up to that point. Watch out, children!, we would warn, BOB SEGER will get you! That joke finally ran its course, and while Hell will host the Winter Olympics before we would ever consider playing Seger's most popular numbers, some of his early stuff is great, and his incendiary "2 + 2 = ?" has even earned a slot in my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). That chapter, of course, appears in the book right after a section reiterating how much I still despise "Old Time Rock And Roll." Please. Leave those old records on the shelf.
We never gave that much negative attention to Barry Manilow, so I'd guess folks weren't quite dumbstruck when ol' Barry made his inaugural whole-friggin'-planet radio appearance this week. I actually liked Manilow contemporary to his first hits, but lost interest--COMPLETELY lost interest--as my pop taste evolved into whatever the hell it is now. You're not likely to hear Manilow's most well-known material at any point on TIRnRR. Ever.
Still, I've been wanting to squeeze "Some Kind Of Friend" into a TIRnRR playlist for quite some time. From 1983, "Some Kind Of Friend" always struck me as Manilow's attempt at a new wave pop song, and it's surprisingly successful on its own Bizarro World terms. I don't believe I'll ever be a Manilow fan again, but I do like this track.
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS: All For Swinging You Around
In life, it's important to have long-term goals. Maybe that's it: it's all for swinging you around. Honestly, when it comes to following a path, we could do worse than that.
THE RAMONES: Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
In life, it's important to have goals. Even if they're just short-term goals.
SPYGENIUS: For Pete's Sake
We were born to love one another. This is something we all need. That's the real goal, in this generation, in this loving time. In this generation--in all generations--we will make the world shine.
"For Pete's Sake." Peter Tork and Joseph Richards wrote it. The Monkees recorded it, even played somebody's instruments on the 1967 recording (musta been somebody's, since the misinformed keep insisting the Monkees didn't play their own instruments). It's been covered this year by the Grip Weeds and by Spygenius, we've played 'em both, and we've played the Monkees, too. Love is understanding. Don't you know that this is true? We must be what we're going to be.
In this generation. In this life. And, God willing, in the next. Shine. Shine for all to see.
Shine.
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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.
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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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