Tuesday, August 16, 2022

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (VOLUME 1): Streamlining The Book


An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns.

Yeah, I've been poundin' on that concept of rockin' pop enthusiasm for years. In 2016, I channeled my embrace of the infinite into a blog series, which commenced with a celebration of "Baby Blue" by Badfinger. I kicked around the notion of turning it into a book, and decided to follow through with that plan in 2018. Work on the book began in earnest in 2019, and hasn't stopped since. Through a series of little advances and larger setbacks (including the loss of my agent and, oh yeah, a worldwide pandemic), I've never stopped pursuing the dream of a GREM! book. It remains a dream at the moment, but the dream has license to continue for now.

I completed the book's first draft in January of this year. Since then, I've done further revisions, and I now have six complete drafts of varying length, with a tentative blueprint for a seventh. A publisher of my acquaintance was willing to consider the project, and one of those drafts is currently in his possession for review. It is, I think, a courtesy review, but with potential for more. (I do think the fact that he described the manuscript as "such great material" is cause for cautious optimism. Meanwhile, another book I wrote for the same publisher has to take more immediate precedence. The GREM! conversation can continue after that. I hope.)

One of the problems the book could face in finding a home is that it may be too lengthy. That's a real-world concern, and it's why I've created some shorter versions. The Table of Contents below reveals one such shorter plan:


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. PETULA CLARK: Downtown
15. TRANSLATOR: Everywhere That I'm Not
16. LESLEY GORE: You Don't Own Me
17. THE SHANGRI-LAS: Leader Of The Pack
18. THE SHIRELLES: Will You Love Me Tomorrow
19. THE RAMONES: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
20. AMY RIGBY: Dancing With Joey Ramone
21. PINK FLOYD: Wish You Were Here
22. GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS: Midnight Train To Georgia
23.THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR: I Fought The Law
24. MERLE HAGGARD: Mama Tried
25. THE TEMPTATIONS: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
26. BUDDY HOLLY: Peggy Sue/Everyday
27. ROBERTA FLACK: Killing Me Softly With His Song
28. JOHNNY NASH: I Can See Clearly Now
29. THE RARE BREED/THE OHIO EXPRESS: Beg, Borrow And Steal
30. OTIS REDDING: (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
31. ARETHA FRANKLIN: Respect
32. THE MONKEES: Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)
33. PRINCE: When You Were Mine
34. THE 13th FLOOR ELEVATORS: You're Gonna Miss Me
35. THE ROLLING STONES: Get Off Of My Cloud
36. PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS: Just Like Me
37. BOB DYLAN: Like A Rolling Stone
38. THE KINGSMEN: Louie, Louie
39. BARON DAEMON AND THE VAMPIRES: The Transylvania Twist
40. THE WHO: I Can't Explain
41. TODD RUNDGREN: Couldn't I Just Tell You
42. SHOES: Tomorrow Night
43. THE FLASHCUBES: No Promise
44. DONNA SUMMER: I Feel Love
45. SMOKEY ROBINSON AND THE MIRACLES: The Tears Of A Clown
46. MILLIE SMALL: My Boy Lollipop
47. THE EASYBEATS: Friday On My Mind
48. IKE AND TINA TURNER: River Deep Mountain High
49. THE RONETTES: Be My Baby
50. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Girls In Their Summer Clothes
51. KISS: Shout It Out Loud
52. THE LEFT BANKE: Walk Away, Renee
53. THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Rock And Roll Love Letter
54. THE KNICKERBOCKERS: Lies
55. THE WONDERS: That Thing You Do!
INTERLUDE The Tottenham Sound Of...The Beatles?!
56. THE DAVE CLARK FIVE: Any Way You Want It
57. JAMES BROWN: Please, Please, Please
58. THE FIRST CLASS: Beach Baby
59. THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Summer Breeze
60. THE PANDORAS: It's About Time
61. THE DANDY WARHOLS: We Used To Be Friends
62. SAMMY AMBROSE: This Diamond Ring
63. BIG STAR: September Gurls
64. THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET: Take Five
65. THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS: All For Swinging You Around
ENTR'ACTE THE BEATLES: Yesterday
66. THE BEATLES: Revolution
67. YOKO ONO: Kiss Kiss Kiss
68. THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS: Time Has Come Today
69. MARVIN GAYE: I Heard It Through The Grapevine
70. LINDA RONSTADT: You're No Good
71. P. P. ARNOLD: The First Cut Is The Deepest
72. BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY: Piece Of My Heart
73. THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Shake Some Action
74. THE CARPENTERS: Only Yesterday
75. MATERIAL ISSUE: Kim The Waitress
76. THE 5TH DIMENSION: Medley: Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In (The Flesh Failures)
77. THE JACKSON FIVE: I'll Be There
78. SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE: Everybody Is A Star
79. THE BANGLES: Live
80. HEADGIRL/MÖTOR HEADGIRL SCHOOL: Please Don't Touch
81. THE FLIRTATIONS: Nothing But A Heartache
82. THE SPINNERS: I'll Be Around
83. TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: American Girl
84. THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: I Woke Up In Love This Morning
85. DAVID RUFFIN: I Want You Back
86. LED ZEPPELIN: Communication Breakdown
87. FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS: Do The Freddie
88. THE BANDWAGON: Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache
89. DON HENLEY: The Boys Of Summer
90. BEN E. KING: Stand By Me
91. GENE PITNEY: Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa 
92. THE SPONGETONES: (My Girl) Maryanne
93. THE TRAMMPS: Disco Inferno
94. HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES: Don't Leave Me This Way
95. GRANDMASTER AND MELLE MEL: White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)
96. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: I'll Be Your Mirror
97. DEL SHANNON: Runaway
98. THE EVERLY BROTHERS: Gone, Gone, Gone
99. THE COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: St. Valentine's Day Massacre
100. SAM AND DAVE: Soul Man
101. THE KINKS: Waterloo Sunset
102. HOLLY GOLIGHTLY: Time Will Tell
103. THE SMITHEREENS: Behind The Wall Of Sleep
104. THE COWSILLS: She Said To Me
105. ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS: (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
106. THE FOUR TOPS: Reach Out I'll Be There
INTERLUDE Old Time Rock 'n' Roll
107. THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM: 2 + 2 = ?
108. THE JIVE FIVE: What Time Is It?
109. LULU: To Sir, With Love [Museum Outings Montage]
110. FREDA PAYNE: Band Of Gold
111. THE GO-GO'S: We Got The Beat
112. THE SUPREMES: You Keep Me Hangin' On 
113. THE BEACH BOYS: God Only Knows
114. THE SELECTER: On My Radio
115. TRACEY ULLMAN: They Don't Know
116. MANNIX: Highway Lines
117. THE DRIFTERS: On Broadway
118. THE COASTERS: Yakety Yak
119. CHEAP TRICK: Surrender
120. TEGAN AND SARA: Walking With A Ghost
121. DAVID BOWIE: Life On Mars?
122. THE O'JAYS: Put Your Hands Together
123. THE GRATEFUL DEAD: Uncle John's Band
124. RITA MORENO, GEORGE CHAKIRIS, SHARKS & GIRLS: America
125. EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS: Do Anything You Wanna Do
126. JOAN JETT: Bad Reputation
127. STEVIE WONDER: I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)
128. MARYKATE O'NEIL: I'm Ready For My Luck To Turn Around
129. EYTAN MIRSKY: This Year's Gonna Be Our Year
130. 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

Our favorite records don't live in isolation. Each one has a story to tell.


Repeating my now-familiar disclaimer in bold and all-caps: THIS IS NOT INTENDED AS AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF THE BEST RECORDS EVER MADE! Jesus, no! The chapters in this book cover a number of popular and personal favorites, but it's nowhere near comprehensive, and it's not meant to be. It's a discussion and a celebration of pop's infinite promise--nothing more, nothing less.

This shorter 135-track blueprint is now my preferred version of GREM! It cuts out a lot, but seems to flow better overall. It also leaves me with a number of building blocks left over for a Volume 2, but Volume 1 needs to move forward first. Even the infinite has gotta start somewhere. 

Before I close here and get back to polishing this pipe dream, I want to repeat some basic supplemental material that's appeared here previously:

You can see links to each of my 34 GREM! video blogs here.

You can read the book's foreword, introduction, and first few chapters here. (These are earlier drafts, so some changes have been implemented since these were posted. Still gives you the gist of what I'm doing.)

Here are a few other sample chapters (also in earlier drafts):


I believe very, very strongly in this book. I think a few of you just might dig it, too. The work continues. This thing ain't dead yet. 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.

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