An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns.
The mantra hasn't changed. Even as I prepare for the March 2023 publication of a different project that will be my first book, I continue to tweak and manipulate the manuscript for my other addled brainchild, my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).
The GREM! book is most definitely not dead yet, and I remain hopeful that the publisher of my first book will be interested in this book, too. This week, I made some slight changes to the GREM! book's proposed Table of Contents. This current draft contains the same number of songs as my previous preferred draft, but is (at just under 115,000 words) about 2000 words shorter. As always, the individual songs are not ranked, with each track given equal status.
Here's a reprise of the project's history: 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 seven complete drafts of varying length. A publisher of my acquaintance was willing to consider the project, and one of those drafts is currently in his possession for review.
And NOW! Here's my current 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
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
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 MARVELETTES: I'll Keep Holding On
41. THE WHO: I Can't Explain
42. TODD RUNDGREN: Couldn't I Just Tell You
43. SHOES: Tomorrow Night
44. THE FLASHCUBES: No Promise
45. SMOKEY ROBINSON AND THE MIRACLES: The Tears Of A Clown
46. IKE AND TINA TURNER: River Deep Mountain High
47. THE RONETTES: Be My Baby
48. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Girls In Their Summer Clothes
49. KISS: Shout It Out Loud
50. THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Rock And Roll Love Letter
51. THE KNICKERBOCKERS: Lies
52. THE WONDERS: That Thing You Do!
INTERLUDE The Tottenham Sound Of...The Beatles?!
53. THE DAVE CLARK FIVE: Any Way You Want It
54. JAMES BROWN: Please, Please, Please
55. THE FIRST CLASS: Beach Baby
56. THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Summer Breeze
57. THE PANDORAS: It's About Time
58. MARVIN GAYE: I Heard It Through The Grapevine
59. LINDA RONSTADT: You're No Good
60. P. P. ARNOLD: The First Cut Is The Deepest
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. DONNA SUMMER: I Feel Love
69. RUFUS: Tell Me Something Good
70. HEART: Kick It Out
71. THE EASYBEATS: Friday On My Mind
72. THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS: Time Has Come Today
73. BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY: Piece Of My Heart
74. THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Shake Some Action
75. THE CARPENTERS: Only Yesterday
76. MATERIAL ISSUE: Kim The Waitress
77. THE 5TH DIMENSION: Medley: Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In (The Flesh Failures)
78. THE JACKSON FIVE: I'll Be There
79. SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE: Everybody Is A Star
80. THE BANGLES: Live
81. HEADGIRL/MÖTOR HEADGIRL SCHOOL: Please Don't Touch
82. MILLIE SMALL: My Boy Lollipop
83. THE FLIRTATIONS: Nothing But A Heartache
84. THE SPINNERS: I'll Be Around
85. THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: I Woke Up In Love This Morning
86. DAVID RUFFIN: I Want You Back
87. LED ZEPPELIN: Communication Breakdown
88. FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS: Do The Freddie
89. THE BANDWAGON: Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache
90. DON HENLEY: The Boys Of Summer
91. BEN E. KING: Stand By Me
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 COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: St. Valentine's Day Massacre
99. SAM AND DAVE: Soul Man
100. THE KINKS: Waterloo Sunset
101. HOLLY GOLIGHTLY: Time Will Tell
102. THE SMITHEREENS: Behind The Wall Of Sleep
103. THE COWSILLS: She Said To Me
104. ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS: (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
105. THE FOUR TOPS: Reach Out I'll Be There
INTERLUDE Old Time Rock 'n' Roll
106. THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM: 2 + 2 = ?
107. THE JIVE FIVE: What Time Is It?
107. THE JIVE FIVE: What Time Is It?
108. LULU: To Sir, With Love [Museum Outings Montage]
109. FREDA PAYNE: Band Of Gold
109. FREDA PAYNE: Band Of Gold
110. THE GO-GO'S: We Got The Beat
111. THE SUPREMES: You Keep Me Hangin' On
112. THE BEACH BOYS: God Only Knows
113. THE SELECTER: On My Radio
114. TRACEY ULLMAN: They Don't Know
115. MANNIX: Highway Lines
116. THE DRIFTERS: On Broadway
117. THE COASTERS: Yakety Yak
118. CHEAP TRICK: Surrender
119. TEGAN AND SARA: Walking With A Ghost
120. DAVID BOWIE: Life On Mars?
121. THE O'JAYS: Put Your Hands Together
122. THE GRATEFUL DEAD: Uncle John's Band
123. RITA MORENO, GEORGE CHAKIRIS, SHARKS & GIRLS: America
124. EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS: Do Anything You Wanna Do
125. JOAN JETT: Bad Reputation
126. JOAN ARMATRADING: Me Myself I
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 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 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. 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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