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 # 1114.
THE VENTURES: Walk--Don't Run
In the late '80s, probably around '88 or so, the Ventures were scheduled to play at a bar located in a shopping center in Seneca Knolls, a suburban area north of Syracuse. In another manifestation of Syracuse's frustrating feast-or-famine existence, the Godfathers were elsewhere in Syracuse that same night, and the Bodeans were also appearing at yet another local venue. I wanted to see all three shows. But there was no real choice: I had to see the Ventures.
The Ventures were one of the most influential groups of the early '60s, and the most influential American instrumental rock 'n' roll combo. I can say that without denying the sheer magnificence of Dick Dale and the Del Tones or Link Wray, or the importance of the Shadows in England. I became a fan in the early '80s, via an oldies radio spin of "Walk--Don't Run." Riveted. There was no way I would or could pass up a chance to see the Ventures play live.
I don't remember the name of the bar. The floor in front of the stage had been garnished with sand, to conjure a beach party ambiance. Soon, the band was on stage. Nokie Edwards had left the group by then, so the Ventures I saw were the "Hawaii Five-O" line-up of Bob Bogle, Don Wilson, Gerry McGee, and Mel Taylor. The owner of the venue introduced, "The best fucking dance band in the world, THE VENTURES!!"
Enthusiastic applause, followed by something like a half-second pause for effect. Maybe a quarter-second. Maybe a full second or more. No time at all, but a seeming eternity, a tantalizing tease. You know what I mean. That brief moment when time stands still, when a performer or a group knows intuitively that he or she or they is about to claim you in full. A half-second. Quarter-second. Less than a tick, yet a sweet, enticing forever. Mel Taylor's drums rolled. That guitar intro.
The Ventures opened their show with "Walk--Don't Run."
The Ventures opened their show with "Walk--Don't Run!"
I've had the pleasure and good fortune to see a lot of terrific shows, from the Kinks to the Ramones to Paul McCartney. No one grabbed me from the get-go better than the Ventures did.
DAVID RUFFIN: Don't Stop Lovin' Me
I've recently been in serious thrall to David, the originally unreleased 1971 album by former Temptations singer David Ruffin. "Don't Stop Lovin' Me" is one of the few David tracks that was issued in its day, serving as the B-side to "Each Day Is A Lifetime" (a track which also would have been on David, if there had been a David). I remain puzzled by Motown's decision to consign the album to the vaults. Great, great record, and we'll hear another of its tracks on next week's TIRnRR.
LOLAS: My Thoughts Have Been Replaced
Following several years of scattered Dana & Carl radio shows in varied incarnations, 1999 was This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio's first full year on the air. Lolas' debut album Ballerina Breakout was released in late '99, but it immediately became my favorite album of the year. Its track "The Best Part" became the first of many Lolas songs played on TIRnRR over the years, and we're delighted to add Lolas' latest to our little Play-Tone Galaxy of Stars. The new album All Rise was a digital-only release in 2021, and it's now available in physical (i.e., real) form courtesy of our friends at Kool Kat Musik. Of course we played it this week! Good stuff, then and now.
BRAM TCHAIKOVSKY: Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache
Our playlists are affected by our listeners. I don't mean just in terms of requests, but also in reading their comments and developing an understanding of what they dig. One such listener is Joel Tinnel, guitarist for the way fab Pop Co-Op. I don't think it's much--maybe any--exaggeration to say that either Dana or I pick at least one track each week with the specific goal of landing within Joel's rockin' pop wheelhouse. We aims t'please. Joel has good taste, so we figure a song that Joel likes has better'n even odds of enhancing whatever the hell it is we do here.
Joel has expressed his interest in the music of Bram Tchaikovsky, the late '70s/early '80s British act (BT the name of both the band and its frontman) best known for the pop classic "Girl Of My Dreams." When we played the Bandwagon's Northern soul essential "Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache" a few years back, it was Joel who pointed out that Bram Tchaikovsky covered the song on his/their third and final studio album, 1981's Funland. This week, that version finally made its belated TIRnRR debut. For Joel! The playlist benefits from an understanding of what our listeners like. Thanks again, Joel.
THE JAM: Monday
In the early '80s, I absolutely worshipped the Jam. Setting Sons had become one of my all-time favorite albums, and I likewise adored its successor Sound Affects. And yet, in our current far-future world of the 21st century, I had completely forgotten about the sublime Sound Affects album track "Monday" until Dana selected it for this week's radio extravaganza. Thanks, Dana!
THE 5TH DIMENSION: Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In (The Flesh Failures)
The effect of listeners again, though this one was an actual request from intrepid TIRnRR fan Dominique King. Thanks, Dominique! Mystic crystal revelation, the mind's true liberation.
BUCK OWENS AND HIS BUCKAROOS: Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass
"Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass" wasn't a request this week, but I first learned of this superswell Buck Owens number because a listener named Elma Tiran (whom we've since dubbed Sparky) wanted us to play it on the show a few years ago. Ever your rock 'n' roll radio customer service specialists, we tracked it down, loved its vibrant application of Beatlisms and fuzz guitar to the C & W Bakersfield Beat, and it became a TIRnRR perennial in short order. Thanks, Sparky!
THE CLICK BEETLES: Goodbye Margot
This ace new track from the glory, the splendor, and the wonder of the Click Beetles initially slipped right by us because, well, um...SQUIRREL!! Times are tough, so we can't afford to pay attention. Rich Firestone of Radio Deer Camp (heard Sunday afternoons from 5 to 7 Eastern, right here on SPARK!) was the first to give "Goodbye Margot" the radio love it deserves, and we're always eager to copy our Reechie and his Radio Deer Camp brilliance. Thanks, Rich!
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| "Goodbye...?!" But I wanna listen to Rich Firestone on Radio Deer Camp! |
Our current Big Stir obsessions are Darling Please by Chris Church and Flavor Of The Month by Lannie Flowers. We played tracks from each on last week's show, and different tracks from each on this week's show. You can't have great radio unless you play great records. Big Stir releases great records, and so we play 'em as part of our ongoing effort to slap together great radio. Thanks, Big Stir. Thank you, listeners. Let's play.
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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.
I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl
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