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 appears a little bit earlier than its usual Thursday berth, and it draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1149.
THE COWSILLS: Rhythm Of The World
Magnificent. The title tune (and first single) from the the Cowsills' fab new album Rhythm Of The World serves as an engaging intro to this week's radio record party. This is only the second time we've ever been able to play a new Cowsills track on TIRnRR--the first was their 2019 cover of "Won't You Be My Neighbor"--and it's the first time we've opened a show with minty-fresh Cowsills. One hopes it won't be the last.
And one suspects it won't be the last time. The new album is very, very good, a potent reminder of the Cowsills' talent, prowess, and panache. It's not quite the equal of 1998's Global--my favorite album of the '90s--but it's pretty damned close, and that's pretty damned cool.
New music from the Cowsills. And yeah, there'll be more to come from Rhythm Of The World in near-future playlists.
CAROLYNE MAS: In The Rain
CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: Goodnight Sailor
It has seemed like a very long time coming, but our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5 is out this week, courtesy of the good folks at Kool Kat Musik. I do indeed realize that we're biased about this, but I tell ya, TIRnRR # 5 is as fine a rockin' pop compilation as you can find anywhere. Anywhere. We're not delusional, at least not in this specific context. We're enthused. And this is flippin' superb.
Among this compilation's many services to the CD-buying public, we have rescued an obscure, long-outta-print Carolyne Mas track from undeserved anonymity. "In The Rain" is now my favorite Carolyne Mas number--and that's saying something--and its only current physical media availability is on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5.
And if TIRnRR # 5 merits kudos for shining its giddy spotlight on "In The Rain," we also deserve a Huzzah! or two for the first-ever appearance of "Goodnight Sailor" by Chris von Sneidern. Jeez, does CVS have any mere castoffs? "Goodnight Sailor" is worthy of saturation airplay everywhere, and we're delighted to play this small role in placing it within earshot of the eager and appreciative.
CEELO GREEN: Forget You
OUTKAST: Hey Ya!
LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: I Better Get Home
I guarantee you, the members of Akron's phenomenal pop combo Librarians With Hickeys didn't foresee one of their tracks placed in a 1-2-3 sequence of CeeLo Green, OutKast, and our neck-kissed Librarians. It's ALL pop music, man.
And pop music fits alongside pop music. It's what pop music does, what it's meant to do. CeeLo Green's "Forget You"--a dynamic single that's about as perky as an F-YOU! can be--came up while I was sifting through possibilities for this week's radio alchemy. I'm fairly certain we've played it before, but it's been absent from our playlists for a long time. Had to rectify that.
"Forget You"'s effervescent pop appeal brought OutKast's "Hey Ya!" to Dana's mind. "Hey Ya!" was and remains a transcendent record, effortlessly merging influences from rock, soul, new wave, even bubblegum and hip hop, and makin' 'em all shine together under the light of a smilin' AM Top 40 sun. Oh, and it has HANDCLAPS!! Hey YA!
And the HEY! in that model brought me to "I Better Get Home," my favorite track on the new Librarians With Hickeys album Handclaps & Tambourines. See? Handclaps! OutKast would approve. As well they should.
THE PANDORAS: It's About Time
During one of my commutes last week, my iPod served up "Again And Again," a track from Come Inside, the still-unreleased 1987 album by the Pandoras. Much of this album is characterized by an all-female interpretation of the leering demeanor common among strutting '80s hair-metal boys who would be men, a single-entendre pose adopted by garage girls transitioning from '60s fuzz fixation into a flirtation with aerosol rock. Come Inside The Pandoras. GET IT...?!
For all that, though, Come Inside really isn't bad, and it's occasionally a lot better than its seemingly baser instincts might indicate. I wouldn't quite rank it alongside the Pandoras' 1984 debut album It's About Time (which was a different band entirely, with only Paula Pierce moving forward through subsequent incarnations) or 1986's somewhat poppier Stop Pretending, but I do wish it would finally see legit release.
I considered throwing "Again And Again" into this week's playlist, but ultimately went back to my favorite Pandoras track, the irresistible "It's About Time." Here are a few lines from its chapter in my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):
"...Like many groups in the mid '80s psychedelic revival, the Pandoras cherished authenticity in their efforts to recreate the sounds of the obscure and unpolished '60s bands they admired and emulated. As an all-female group in an overwhelmingly male-dominated scene, the Pandoras may have been seen (incorrectly) as something of a novelty act, but the sound of female vocals over fuzz guitar helped the group stand out from the pack of slavish Sonics imitators.
"If the Pandoras were initially noticed just for their gender, it must also be said that they could deliver the goods on record. Their 1984 debut album It's About Time remains an essential artifact of the neo-garage movement. It's filled with derivative tunes, retro moves, and deliberately lo-fi production values, sure, but it is greater than its self-imposed limitations, and it is offered with a gusto second to none.
"The title track is extraordinary, its guitar intro echoing the Byrds while remaining stubbornly anchored in the carport that spawned it. The lyrics could be about a one-night stand (or the first of a series of all-night stands), or one could imagine it as manifesto for bands and fans to get together to frolic under the flashing lights. It's about time. Don't you think that we should just let it happen? NOW!...."
THE RASPBERRIES: I Wanna Be With You
LISA MYCHOLS: Go All The Way
I believe it was intrepid TIRnRR listener Joel Tinnel who once suggested that a spin of Lisa Mychols' breathy, acoustic cover of the Raspberries' horny classic "Go All The Way" should be followed with a ceremonial cigarette. We don't smoke, but this track sure does. And I further suggest that a twin spin of the 'Berries' "I Wanna Be With You" and Lisa's "Go All The Way" should perhaps be sold in a brown paper bag.
HERB ALPERT AND THE TIJUANA BRASS: Green Peppers
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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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