Monday, January 30, 2023

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1166

                                  

To everything, there is a season.

The late David Crosby was a member of the Byrds, a great American rock 'n' roll group inspired by the Beatles to move from folkie roots to a new and transcendent style of plugged-in electric pop music. Crosby subsequently achieved greater fame with Crosby, Stills & Nash (and later Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), joining former members of the Hollies and Buffalo Springfield to create one of the most acclaimed supergroups of the classic rock era.

As a teen in the mid to late '70s, my bourgeoning interest in '60s music led me to the Byrds and CSN. Of the two, I may have discovered CSN(Y) first, since my sister had their albums. Over time, I began to prefer (and revere) the Byrds, and my embrace of punk in the late '70s created a separation between my evolving tastes and what I perceived to be the mellower sound of CSN. They weren't necessarily mellow, of course, but they were slicker than, say, the Ramones, and somewhat earthier 'n' crunchier even in comparison to Buffalo Springfield, the Hollies, and the Byrds. I came to espouse the view that Crosby, Stills & Nash broke up three great groups to form one okay group.

I do know better now. Although I'm still way more likely to play Byrds records, I listen to CSN and sometimes Y every now and again. The level of talent on display remains impressive in any combination. For David Crosby, whether urging us to speak out against the madness in CSN's "Long Time Gone" or bemoaning his soon-to-be-solitary fate in the Byrds' "Lady Friend," his gift, his voice, and his spirit were undeniable.

Crosby had human flaws. It's said that he was difficult, it's documented that he had issues with substance abuse and troubles with the law, and one suspects he may have pissed off more than just a few folks wasted on the way. Even if that's all true, it doesn't really tarnish the splendor of the music he made.

But I believe--for right or wrong--that Crosby was aware of his own failings, and that he worked to address them. At the very least, he acknowledged them. That's the mark of someone trying to be better, trying to take flyte, trying to get back to the garden. And that's all we can ask of anyone.

To everything, there is a season. Seasons turn. Back pages turn. Eight miles high, and a long time gone. Music is love. Turn. Turn. Turn. 

This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week. 

This show is available as a podcast.

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 via the TuneIn Radio and Radio Garden apps as Westcott Radio.

REMINDER! You can help our friend (and Radio Deer Camp host) Rich Firestone, and we hope you will: Support Rich's Transition To Disabled Living. And we thanks ya!

You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO)

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The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
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Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
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***And NOW AVAILABLE! This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5!***
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You can follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at 
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TIRnRR # 1166: 1/29/2023
TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Tracks we think we ain't played before are listed in bold

THE RAMONES: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (Rhino, End Of The Century)
--
THE FLASHCUBES: Forget About You (unreleased)
BADFINGER: Just A Chance (Warner Brothers, Wish You Were Here)
THE BYRDS: Lady Friend (Columbia, Younger Than Yesterday)
LAURA NYRO: California Shoeshine Boys (Columbia, The First Songs)
THE TAMS: Tams Medley (Ripete, VA: The Beach Music Anthology Box Set)
BILL COWSILL: When Everybody's Here (Polydor, THE COWSILLS: The Best Of The Cowsills)
--
THE COWSILLS: Largo Nights (Omnivore, Rhythm Of The World)
CROSBY, STILLS & NASH: Long Time Gone (Atlantic, Crosby, Stills & Nash)
STEVE STOECKEL: Laura Lynn (Big Stir, The Power Of And)
GENE VINCENT: Lotta Lovin' (Newsound 2000, Rock 'n' Roll Fugitive)
THE SYLVERS: Any Way You Want Me (Curb, Greatest Hits)
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL FEATURING BOOKER T & THE MG'S: Down On The Corner (Concord, Willy And The Poor Boys [40th Anniversary Edition])
--
THE WEEKLINGS: I've Just Seen A Face (Jem, single)
MAJOR LANCE: Ain't No Soul (In These Old Shoes) (Epic, Everybody Loves A Good Time! The Best Of Major Lance)
JOSIE COTTON: The Night Before (Cleopatra, Everything Is Oh Yeah)
THE 5TH DIMENSION: Age Of Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In [live] (Legacy, VA: Summer Of Soul OST)
THE BYRDS: What's Happening?!?! (Columbia, Fifth Dimension)
ERMA FRANKLIN: Piece Of My Heart (Shout!, Piece Of Her Heart: The Epic And Shout Years)
--
FRINGE BENEFIT: All In Vain (Kool Kat Musik, Fringe Benefit)
THE MONKEES: Me & Magdalena (Version 2) (Rhino, Good Times! [digital edition])
CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG: Déjà Vu (Atlantic, Déjà Vu)
BEN VAUGHN: Magdalena (Bar/None, Mono USA)
MIKE BROWNING: Blood Of Oblivion (single)
ROBERT GORDON WITH LINK WRAY Red Cadillac And A Black Mustache (Private Stock, Fresh Fish Special)
--
STAR COLLECTOR: Feel It Comin' On (n/a, Attack, Sustain, Decay...Repeat)
THE STONE PONEYS: Different Drum (Rhino, LINDA RONSTADT: Greatest Hits I & II)
THE RAMONES: A Real Cool Time (Sire, Halfway To Sanity)
THE PATTI SMITH GROUP: 54321/Wave (Arista, Wave)
DAVID CROSBY: Music Is Love (Atlantic, If I Could Only Remember My Name)
LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: I Better Get Home (Big Stir, Handclaps & Tambourines)
--
PANTHERVISION: Always Remember (Kool Kat Musik, Now In 3-D)
THE GRIP WEEDS: I'm Free (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Pete Townshend)
McGUINN, CLARK & HILLMAN [with special guest DAVID CROSBY]: Turn! Turn! Turn! (All Access, Live At The Boarding House)
THE ASSOCIATION: Along Comes Mary (Collectors' Choice Music, And Then...Along Comes The Association)
EDDIE FLOYD: 634-5789 (Rhino, The Platinum Collection)
--
THE BYRDS: Eight Miles High (Columbia, Fifth Dimension)
XTC: Respectable Street (Virgin, Upsy Daisy Assortment)
JENNY DEE & THE DEELINQUENTS: Getaway (DeeVeeUs, Electric Candyland)
THE ENGLISH BEAT: Mirror In The Bathroom (Shout Factory, Keep The Beat)
PETER, PAUL & MARY: If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song) (Warner Brothers, The Best Of Peter, Paul & Mary)
IRMA THOMAS: Break-A-Way (Rhino, VA: One Kiss Can Lead To Another)
--
THE HALFCUBES: I Live (unreleased)
THEE HEADCOATEES: The First Plane Home (Damaged Goods, The Kids Are All Square--This Is Hip! + Girlsville)
GRAHAM NASH & DAVID CROSBY: Carry Me (MCA, Wind On The Water)
LAURIE & THE SIGHS: Face To Face (Wounded Bird, Laurie and the Sighs)
CLIFF HILLIS: Good Morning And Goodnight (single)
MICKEY & THE MILKSHAKES: Please Don't Tell My Baby (Rhino, VA: Children Of Nuggets)
--
JUNIPER: Picture Of You (Confidential, She Steals Candy)
THE EVERLY BROTHERS: Wake Up Little Susie (Varese Vintage, The Complete Cadence Recordings 1957-1960)
THE CYNZ: Tell That Girl To Shut Up (Jem, single)
THE PLIMSOULS: Everyday Things (Rhino, The Plimsouls...Plus)
RANDY KLAWON & JIM BONFANTI: Marlo Maybe (single)
THE CRAWDADDYS: I Can Never Tell (Voxx, Crawdaddy Express)
THE BYRDS: Long Live The King (Esoteric Recordings, Byrds)
THE BEATLES: And Your Bird Can Sing (Apple, Revolver)
--
CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG: Our House (Atlantic, Déjà Vu)
THE DILLARDS: Yesterday (Collectors' Choice Music, Copperfields)

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Tonight On THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

We open with BRAND-NEW MUSIC FROM THE FLASHCUBES! We'll also enjoy minty-fresh spins from JUNIPER, STEVE STOECKEL, THE WEEKLINGS, STAR COLLECTOR, PANTHERVISION, and THE HALFCUBES, a new archival release from FRINGE BENEFIT, and a plethora of delights by BADFINGER, THE TAMS, THE CYNZ, MAJOR LANCE, PATTI SMITH GROUP, THE MONKEES, THE GRIP WEEDS, THE SYLVERSEDDIE FLOYD, THE RAMONES, JENNY DEE AND THE DEELINQUENTS, THE 5th DIMENSION, LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS, GENE VINCENT, THE COWSILLS, XTC, WENDI DUNLAP, THE EVERLY BROTHERSTHE BEATLES, THE CRAWDADDYS, and more. And, threaded throughout the show, we'll hear a few things from THE BYRDS and CROSBY, STILLS & NASH, in memory of DAVID CROSBY. It starts with NEW MUSIC FROM THE FLASHCUBES! Oh, you're gonna dig this. Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and via the TuneIn Radio and Radio Garden apps as WESTCOTT RADIO. The weekend stops HERE! 

Saturday, January 28, 2023

NO PROMISE LASTS FOREVER: My 45th Anniversary As A Fan Of THE FLASHCUBES

 

45 years ago tonight, a live rock 'n' roll show changed my life. The event occurred two months after I first heard the record that changed my life ("Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" by the Ramones), and it built upon a stack of influences accrued over my first 18 years here on your little planet. From the Beatles in A Hard Day's Night to the Monkees on TV, British Invasion to punk, AM to FM to Phonograph Record Magazine, the expansion of my rockin' pop world culminated in an explosion of punk-fueled power pop. January 28, 1978. The first time I saw the Flashcubes.

Is "life-changing" an exaggeration? No, don't be silly. Our delights and obsessions forge a large part of who we are. A Hard Day's Night, "Sheena," and my first 'Cubes show were my specific pop flashpoints. There were a ton of other influences, but I wouldn't have become whatever it is I am without the Beatles, the Ramones, and the Flashcubes. All three. I wouldn't have gotten around to being a pop journalist, a DJ, or a blogger. I wouldn't have a book coming out in the spring. For better or worse, I wouldn't be me.

Tomorrow night, 45 years and one day after a live Flashcubes show set off a bright light in my head, we're going to open this week's exciting edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl with a BRAND NEW track by Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes. It's unreleased, and I have no idea when you'll be able to hear it elsewhere. But you will. And for now, you can hear it on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio.

Meanwhile, here's a collection of a few things I've written on behalf of the Flashcubes. There will be more to come, including something connected to that new Flashcubes track we're playing tomorrow night. The lights remain bright. Raise your fist and smile. It's the Flashcubes.


Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery: My First Flashcubes Show

My First Flashcubes Writing

Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery: The Ramones, the Runaways, and the Flashcubes

The Greatest Record Ever Made! The Flashcubes, "No Promise"

TIRnRR # 4, Track By Track: "No Promise"

Bright Lights liner notes

The 1997 Bright Lights Interviews

A Cellarful Of Boys liner notes

Flashcubes On Fire liner notes

The Flashcubes: SAMMYs [Syracuse Area Music Awards] Hall of Fame

The Flashcubes: A Brighter Light In My Mind

Didn't See THAT Coming! (Unexpected Covers In Concert): The Flashcubes, "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter"

And while we're at it, visit the Flashcubes' page at Big Stir Records. Got, got, got no mind! But I don't mind.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreonor by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

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.

Friday, January 27, 2023

10 SONGS: 1/27/2023

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 # 1165. This show is available as a podcast.

STEVE STOECKEL: Christine
STEVE STOECKEL: Just One Kiss

Dana and I have long been fans of Steve Stoeckel's peerless pop work with the Spongetones, and have likewise been thrilled with his subsequent accomplishments with the mighty Pop Co-Op. Now that Steve has recorded his first ever solo album The Power Of And, you can bet your pop-starved bippy our lad Steve's new record will rack up some airplay on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio.

We opened this week's little mutant radio show with a track from The Power Of And, a proud 'n' perky bopper called "Christine." And, knowing that we were gonna circle back to the album's first single "Just One Kiss" in this week's final set, and further knowing that Steve is himself a proud 'n' perky fan of the Beatles, we felt compelled to introduce "Christine" like this:

Now tonight you' re going to twice be entertained by him; right now, and in the second half of our show. Ladies and gentlemen, STEVE STOECKEL!!

Close your eyes, Christine, and we'll kiss you. Just one kiss. Fab music is its own fab reward. The power of AND...and how!

THE YARDBIRDS: Over Under Sideways Down

As much as I loathe the idea of our playlists turning into the Obituary of the Week, we often feel a specific and emotional need to honor our pop heroes as they pass from our mortal world. The late Jeff Beck was our featured performer this week, and we're going to feature David Crosby on our next show.

Over, under, sideways, down. Yeah, that about sums it up. I fell for the Yardbirds in 1977, more than a decade after the fact. Any record you ain't heard is a new record. I remember--or at least I think I remember--owning the "Over Under Sideways Down" 45 pictured above, and I wonder if I picked it up at the flea market even before I snagged my used copy of the Yardbirds' Greatest Hits LP. Was "Over Under Sideways Down" my first Yardbirds record? I didn't think it was, but...possibly? At the time, as a teen with a finite supply of funds, I may have been a little less likely to pick up a 45 of a song I already had on an album. On the other hand, I would have been a sucker for a dynamic picture sleeve like this one. Either way: YARDBIRDS!! And the Jeff Beck-era Yardbirds recordings were most definitely my favorite. 

JUNIPER: James

Teen sensation Juniper is no stranger to TIRnRR playlists. Her tracks "Best Kept Secret" and  "Boys! Boys! Boys! Boys! Boys!" (both found on her eponymous debut album) scored significant burn on our show, and we're thrilled to program material from her brand-new album She Steals Candy. Juniper was fifteen when her first album was released in 2020, and She Steals Candy conveys a sense of growth and maturity without relinquishing the sass and energy of previous efforts.

She Steals Candy includes a number of covers, both obscure and less obscure. We played Juniper's take on KISS bassist Gene Simmons' Beatley pop gem "See You Tonight" last week, and this week's show brings her boppin' version of the Bangles' "James." We'll have another track from She Steals Candy next week.

PANTHERVISION: Say What You Like

Aw, I like this a lot. Panthervision is fronted by former Beyond Veronica stalwarts Bonnie Veronica and Kirk Larsen, and their debut album Now In 3-D is immediately and deliciously reminiscent of Holly and the Italians. Given the fact that the lone Holly and the Italians album The Right To Be Italian remains one of my top faves from the '80s, consider the comparison my personal seal of approval. We're gonna play this. Oh yeah, we're gonna play this. 

THE YARDBIRDS: Heart Full Of Soul

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE RAMONES: Chinese Rock

I heard the Ramones' version of "Chinese Rock" before I heard the Heartbreakers' definitive version ("Chinese Rocks," and I have no idea why the Ramones dropped the s from the song's title). As a Heartbreakers song, Dee Dee Ramone shared songwriting credit with that group's Johnny Thunders, Richard Hell, and Jerry Nolan. The credit for "Chinese Rock" as it appeared on the Ramones' End Of The Century album in 1980 was simply "Ramones."

Whether or not the Heartbreakers helped write the song, "Chinese Rocks" sure has Dee Dee's junk-stained mitts all over it. When I interviewed the Ramones in 1994, Johnny Ramone told me, "It was our song. Dee Dee had brought it to us at the time of probably Leave Home. At the time, we were doing '53rd & 3rd' and 'Commando.' To me, there were similarities. He had just come up with a song that was similar to the other two in some ways.

"It was also mentioning dope. And we didn't mind singing about certain drugs, but we didn't want to sing about dope...

"...The Heartbreakers then started doing it, and we realized it was a good song. I didn't like the way our version turned out. [The Heartbreakers'] version was better."

(And, although Joey Ramone rarely agreed with Johnny about much, their opinions of the Ramones' "Chinese Rock" concurred: "'Chinese Rock' didn't come out the way it should have," said Joey. "I don't think [End Of The Century producer Phil Spector] would be the right choice for a song like that. It lacked the aggression it needed.")

I did hear the Heartbreakers' "Chinese Rocks" (courtesy of their Live At Max's Kansas City album in '79) before I heard End Of The Century's "Chinese Rock." But I first heard the song live and in person, when the Ramones played with the Flashcubes at Syracuse's Uncle Sam's on July 6th, 1979. It was the second of the nine times I saw the Ramones, and the only time I heard them play a song that hadn't yet appeared on one of their own records.

(That same 1979 club show with the Ramones and the 'Cubes began with the first Central New York screening of the Ramones' movie Rock 'n' Roll High School. That, my friends, was real value for your $5 admission price. I wrote about it as part of my memorial of Joey Ramone when he died in 2001. The night at Uncle Sam's was magic, and it happened when I was in particularly urgent need of some magic. Gabba Gabba Hey.)

THE MONKEES: Sugar Man

Hey, a Monkees track without any Monkees on it! "Sugar Man" is a backing track only, prepared in 1967 by New York City sessionmeisters with the expectation that Micky Dolenz or Davy Jones would eventually add lead vocals and then the songwriters, producers, publishers, and other folks in charge of the Monkees' music machine would have more big checks to cash. Sugar, man!

And a completed Monkees version of "Sugar Man" could have been pretty swell, like the best stuff on the Monkees' then-recent album More Of The Monkees. But "Sugar Man" came at the wrong time; by '67, the Monkees (particularly Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork) were fed up with the enforced disconnect between the group and the records that bore their name. They were a manufactured TV band, and they wanted to be a real band. More Of The Monkees was the Prefab Four's final prefabricated album; their next album, Headquarters, would be an album made by the freakin' Monkees. The sessionmeisters were talented, but their services would not be required for Headquarters.

The Monkees' never-completed track "Sugar Man" has entered into urban legend. At a 1967 meeting between (on one side) Micky, Davy, Michael, Peter, and their new producer Chip Douglas and (on the other side) golden-eared Musical Supervisor Don Kirshner and his business-first compatriots, Kirshner urged the boys to stick with the formula, greased their palms with hefty royalty payments, and presented them with this groovycool new pop ditty, which would be another surefire # 1 smash for our MonkeeMen.

The legend gets the next part wrong. Chip Douglas, Kirshner himself, and even Micky have all claimed that the proposed song was "Sugar Sugar," later to be a massive hit for Kirshner's next project the Archies. I've also been guilty of propagating that myth, though I learned better a long time ago. In 1967, songwriter Jeff Barry had not yet concocted "Sugar Sugar," a song he insisted was written specifically for the Archies, who had the hit with it in 1969. 

Was "Sugar Man" the song ol' Golden Ears tried to bestow upon his unruly Monkees at that fateful meeting? Well, it's not a big jump to confuse the titles, especially when "Sugar Sugar" became so huge and "Sugar Man" was forgotten entirely.

Either way, Michael Nesmith put his fist through a wall. Literally. Nesmith put his fist through a wall and warned one of Kirshner's crew, That could have been your face, mother...y'know. The Monkees weren't gonna do no freakin' bubblegum sugar song. Kirshner's exit was nigh. Headquarters rocked. The MonkeeMen prevailed. (For more about this exciting flashpoint in the Monkees' career, I direct you to my piece about "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," the first record to feature the Monkees themselves as their own sessionmeisters.)

It's a little weird that the recent multi-disc boxed set of Headquarters, a celebration of the precise moment when the Monkees became a bona fide recording entity in their own right, also contains so much session material that had nothing whatsoever to do with any of them. The fact that it's weird does not make it unwelcome. Sure, I prefer the (if you will) real Monkees, but I enjoy the made-for-TV test tube concoctions, too. It's all part of the Monkees story. Gimme some sugar. Sugar has its place.

THE YARDBIRDS: Train Kept A-Rollin'

After my teen acquisition of the above-mentioned Greatest Hits album, Having A Rave-Up was my second Yardbirds LP. In the late '70s or (probably) early '80s, I heard the Yardbirds steamin' rendition of "Train Kept A-Rollin'" on an oldies radio show. Prior to that, I only knew the song from the guy across the hall in my freshman dorm blasting Aerosmith's version; I wouldn't hear earlier recordings by Tiny Bradshaw or Johnny Burnette's Rock and Roll Trio until a later time. "Train Kept A-Rollin'" wasn't on my Yardbirds Greatest Hits. I think I heard the Yardbirds' "Train Kept A-Rollin'" ripoff "Stroll On" before I heard their version of the legit original (thanks to the Yardbirds' on-screen performance of "Stroll On" in the film Blow Up).

Gratuitous photo of actress Jane Birkin in Blow Up

In the early '80s, a McDonald's coworker and I somehow got into a conversation about the mid '60s British Invasion. Laurie was a bit younger than me, and had no real interest in your Kinks or your Dave Clark Five. Nonetheless, she mentioned that someone in her family had a couple of LPs from that era, one by the Animals and one by the Yardbirds. She didn't think anyone at home still wanted them, and she offered to give them to me. Within a day or two, her family's copies of Animal Tracks and Having A Rave-Up moved to their new home in my apartment.

In the early '80s, I was the first Sex Pistols fan anyone at McDonald's of Brockport had ever met. Hence my McNickname at the time: Sid

In addition to "Train Kept A-Rollin'," Having A Rave-Up also introduced me to "You're A Better Man Than I" and "Evil Hearted You," two absolutely essential Yardbirds classics I didn't know at all. That made this beat-up copy of Having A Rave-Up one of the best gifts of music I've ever received. This week, we played the Yardbirds in memory of the late, great Jeff Beck. But this spin of "Train Kept A-Rollin'" goes out with gratitude to my former McPal Laurie Heffron, wherever she is. Thanks again, Laurie.

THE YARDBIRDS: You're A Better Man Than I 

Our tribute to Jeff Beck includes tracks by the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group, Beck solo, and Beck billed with Rod Stewart. As the show concluded, our after-the-tag bonus selection was a Yardbirds BBC performance of "You're A Better Man Than I." This was selected deliberately for its opening, as the BBC announcer asks each Yardbird to share his New Year's resolution for 1966. Keith Relf, Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith, and Jim McCarty offer a mix of wishes both sober and whimsical, and Beck states plainly, "I shan't alter at all. My resolution is to keep on the way I am at the moment."

He did pretty well with that. Godspeed, Jeff Beck. Hi Ho Silver Lining. 

Away.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreonor by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

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.

Thursday, January 26, 2023

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE: American Girl

This was written as a potential chapter in my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), but it is not part of that book's current blueprint. Volume 2!

An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!


TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: American Girl
Written by Tom Petty
Produced by Denny Cordell
Single from the album Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Shelter Records, 1976

God, it's so painful for something to be so close
And still so far out of reach

I know I've written several times about Phonograph Record Magazine, a rock 'n' roll tabloid that meant quite a lot to me when I was 17. I discovered the magazine when I was a 17-year-old high school senior in 1977, and even though I only saw a mere two issues of PRM, it was enough to open up a whole new world of possibility within my fevered teen brain. Punk rock? What the hell is that? And why am I suddenly so intrigued by it?

Among PRM's regular features was Pipeline, a determinedly silly column by writer Mark Shipper. And it was in Pipeline that I first heard of a new act called Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.


Granted, it was just in a humor piece about punk groups, referring to Eddie and the Hot Rods as a singer named Eddie backed by a combo of classic cars revvin' up, and referring to the Heartbreakers as a beleaguered band bullied by a leader so (wait for it!) petty that he required 'em all to wear matching underwear beneath their trousers on stage. You might find the idea of considering Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers a punk group funnier than Shipper's jokes (though I would disagree). But Petty and company were indeed swept up in the punk hype initially, spoken in the same breath as the Ramones, even though they sounded more like the Byrds. Nonetheless, the common ground was there. It was new. It was exciting. It belonged to us.

I don't have any real recollection of hearing Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' first hit "Breakdown" on the radio in '77, though I must have. I did hear "American Girl," and adored its glorious channeling of Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark taking flyte on my FM dial. But it was really the group's 1978 TV appearance on Midnight Special that set me higher. "Listen To Her Heart." "I Need To Know." The album was You're Gonna Get It. I got it. I got it as soon as I possibly could.

The American record-buyin' public caught up with this mob in short order; their third album Damn The Torpedoes shot full speed ahead into the charts, onto the airwaves, and deep within hearts that would not be broken. Their success was proof that great stuff could sell, sell big, and remain great, remain true to itself. 

No one would ever dare to call Tom Petty a sellout. He was an everyman, one of us, yet still a superstar, the kind of star we wished we could be. When Petty helped to form the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, his self-assured cool guaranteed him an easy fit; but somewhere far under his skin, I guarantee there was still a starstruck kid from Gainsville, Florida, pinching himself while saying I'm pals with George HarrisonBob Dylan, and Roy OrbisonAnd Jeff Lynne. His success was deserved. His fame and acclaim were well-earned. But he never forgot the long road he took to get there. His unbreakable heart was made of gold, but forged in rock 'n' roll.


"American Girl" recalls the best of the Byrds so effortlessly that there's no question that the similarity is an accident; Petty said he didn't even realize it sounded like the Byrds until someone pointed it out. It was organic, the result of creation nurtured by inspiration. "American Girl" is also arguably deeper, more emotional than most of the Byrds' sublime recorded work, painting a portrait of a woman dealing with her own desperation, her own regret, and determining her next step in moving on to something better.

"Something better" for this American girl may be an American boy who can try to understand her and help her; it may be even simpler than that, as she seeks the path to understand and help herself: an American girl, raised on promises, who couldn't help thinking that there was a little more to life somewhere else.

Tom Petty knew all of this, whether first-hand or as an observer. He told the story with a chime of guitars and an earnest commitment to seeing things through. Oh yeah. All right. A great big world with lots of places to run to must offer sanctuary somewhere. 

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreonor by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

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.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

One Last Look

It is such a weird, weird feeling to know that I will never again set foot in 308, the house I used to live in.

On Tuesday, while I was at work, my wife Brenda met my sister Denise at 308 to help with the final ritual of clearing the space, cleaning, packing, shuffling its remaining castoffs to Goodwill. I joined them in the evening to complete the culling. 308 stood empty. It was ours no longer.

I took a last look in each bare, silent room, from basement to attic. I saw where our little pool table used to be, where Dad had his baseball memorabilia, where Mom had her jazz and Broadway LPs. The driveway where my brother Art's ill-fated Alfa Romeo once sat. The backyard where my brother Rob tried to teach me how to throw a football. The living room where Denise introduced me to a TV show called The Monkees. The kitchen where we ate macaroni and meatballs, and hot dogs, and beef stew, and carrot cake, and breakfast cereal, and Friday night fish fry, and so much more. My old room, where I listened to music, read comic books, tried to write, tried to draw, tried to dream. 

I remember. My memories of 308 are a kaleidoscope, a collision of colors that refuse to cede their distinct hues as time forces them--all of them--to turn to gray, no matter what vibrance they wish to retain. The brilliance remains in my mind's eye.

Our work done, our cars packed, Brenda, Denise, and I walked out of 308. We closed the door and it locked behind us. We drove away. We had driven away from 308 so many times before, always knowing we could and would return.

Until now. 

The new owners are moving in today. I hear they have a dog, which is cool. A long time ago, we used to have a dog named Bear, and Bear was a part of our family at 308. We wish 308's new family a life of love and happiness in the house we used to live in.

Yeah, it's a weird feeling. My twinge of sadness will pass. My wealth of recollections will remain. Farewell 308.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

That Time JOHN WICKS And PAUL COLLINS Visited THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

John, Carl, Paul, and Dana

On June 11th 2009, a pair of power pop legends joined Dana & Carl for a special Thursday night edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. John Wicks of the Records and Paul Collins of Paul Collins' Beat were in the midst of an acoustic tour, and their two-man unplugged show had a date in Cortland, NY on Friday the 12th. But, like the good Beatles fans we are, we said our hellos the night before.

Credit true believer Richard Rossi for setting this up. Seeking to publicize the Friday night club gig, Rich contacted us to ask if we were interested in inviting John Wicks and Paul Collins to appear on our show. I suspect our reply of Yes! YES!! may have compromised our façade of cool detachment. We agreed to do a one-off Thursday night live TIRnRR, and Rich arranged for John and Paul to come to Syracuse. We secured space in a common area just outside our closet-sized studio, invited a few friends to serve witness, and welcomed John Wicks and Paul Collins to This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio.

It was a blast. They answered questions and played a few numbers from their own impressive songbooks plus some Hollies and Flamin' Groovies covers. An hour show flew past like nothing. But lemme tell ya: it was something. It was really something.

I have a vague memory of someone--possibly future Perilous guitarist Bob Cat, who was there with John and Paul--trying to capture the night on video. John Wicks passed away n 2018. I'd forgotten all about the video until very recently, when Rich discovered it among John's personal effects. Rich shared a clip with us, and asked our permission to share it publicly.

We may have compromised our façade of cool detachment with our eager 'n' affirmative reply.

So here's the final song from that time in 2009 when power pop legends John Wicks and Paul Collins visited This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. It's a performance of the Records' "Hearts Will Be Broken"--my favorite Records track--and we remain thrilled that we had this opportunity to meet and chat with these two artists we've admired for so long.

You can see Rich's write-up of the clip at the John Wicks and the Records website, which includes a link to the video. For posterity, we're also embedding the video here:


Thanks again, Rich!

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreonor by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

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.

Monday, January 23, 2023

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1165

As I write out this little song and dance on behalf of our weekly radio program, it's just a few hours after we learned of the passing of David Crosby. If Dana and I were still doing live shows, this week's playlist would have certainly included something by Crosby, definitely with the Byrds, maybe some Crosby, Stills & Nash, perhaps more. 

But we don't do the shows live anymore. That's why we're featuring music by the late Jeff Beck this week instead of last week, and why we'll likely program some Crosby in our next show instead of in this one. 

I hate the idea of playlists becoming Obituary of the Moment. But with each year--hell, each week--we're forced to bid farewell to more and more of our rockin' pop idols. Mortality bites. 

It's perhaps too pat to note that the music keeps playing even as its performers pass. It's true nonetheless. Our art outlives us all. The joy it brings us--the delight of art and music, storytelling, creation, vision, love, communion--is as essential as life itself. It is life itself. It's part of us. We won't let go of it until we finally have to release our hold on the material world in its entirety.

Maybe we won't let go of it then, either. A polka song says that in Heaven there is no beer. But there's gotta be music. It can't be Heaven without music.

We've got some songs to play. Even as we mourn the loss of our heroes, we embrace the joy of radio, the magic of music. We cherish the performers who are still with us. We honor the memories of those whose current gigs and current digs are beyond our human ability to comprehend. But they're out there. We hear them. 

We always will.

This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

This week's show is available as a podcast.

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, on the web at westcottradio.org and via the TuneIn Radio and Radio Garden apps as Westcott Radio.

REMINDER! You can help our friend (and Radio Deer Camp host) Rich Firestone, and we hope you will: Support Rich's Transition To Disabled Living. And we thanks ya!

You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO)

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

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
***And NOW AVAILABLE! This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5!***
     CD or download

You can follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at 
https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/

TIRnRR # 1165: 1/22/2023
TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Tracks we think we ain't played before are listed in bold

THE RAMONES: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (Rhino, End Of The Century)
--
STEVE STOECKEL: Christine (Big Stir, The Power Of And)
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: American Girl (MCA, Anthology: Through The Years)
THE YARDBIRDS: Over Under Sideways Down (Rhino, Ultimate!)
THE BUNCH: When Will I Be Loved (A & M, SANDY DENNY: No More Sad Refrains)
THE SYLVERS: Boogie Fever (Curb, Greatest Hits)
THE STAPLE SINGERS: (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Day (Ace, VA: Hard To Handle--Black America Sings Otis Redding)
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JUNIPER: James (Confidential, She Steals Candy)
TRACEY THORN: Femme Fatale (Cherry Red, A Distant Shore)
LISA MARIE PRESLEY: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Capitol, Now What)
BOBBY WOMACK & THE BROTHERHOOD: Home Is Where The Heart Is (Legacy, VA: Lost Soul: Rhythm And Soul)
JEFF BECK: Tally Man (Epic, Beckology)
BRENDA & THE TABULATIONS: Walk On In (Legacy, VA: Lost Soul: Rhythm And Soul)
--
JEFF BECK: Shapes Of Things (Epic, Truth)
BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD: Burned (Rhino, Buffalo Springfield)
WENDI DUNLAP: Say Hello To Another Goodbye (n/a, O-o-h Child [...And Other COVID Covers])
JOSIE COTTON: Here Comes My Baby (Cleopatra, Everything Is Oh Yeah)
MIKE BROWNING: Blood Of Oblivion (single)
LAURIE & THE SIGHS: Party Lights (Wounded Bird, Laurie and the Sighs)
--
PANTHERVISION: Say What You Like (Kool Kat Musik, Now In 3-D)
WEDNESDAY WEEK: I Hate Lying To Mom (Enigma, What We Had)
THE JEFF BECK GROUP: I Gotta Have A Song (Epic, Jeff Beck Group)
THE TOKENS: La Bamba (Jasmine, The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
LITTLE WILLIE JOHN: Fever (Time-Warner, VA: Rock N' Roll Era: 1956)
TAJ MAHAL: Things Are Gonna Work Out Fine (Columbia, The Natch'l Blues)
--
THE CYNZ: Tell That Girl To Shut Up (Jem, single)
THE MnM'S: I'm Tired (Burger, Melts In Your Ears 1980-1981)
HAYLEY & THE CRUSHERS: Water On Glass (Rum Bar, Gun Sized)
THE YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS: I'd Say That You Were Upset (Frontier, Totally Lost)
JEFF BECK & ROD STEWART: People Get Ready (Epic, single)
KING CURTIS: Memphis Soul Stew (Razor & Tie, Instant Soul: The Legendary King Curtis)
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THE SMITHEREENS: Out Of This World (Tollie, The Lost Album)
THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Jupiter (Roadrunner, Freaked Out & Small)
JEFF BECK: Beck's Bolero (Epic, Truth)
MAJOR LANCE: Hey Little Girl (Epic, Everybody Loves A Good Time! The Best Of Major Lance)
RANDY KLAWON & JIM BONFANTI: Marlo Maybe (single)
THE AIRPORT 77s: All Torn Up Over Tina (Jem, We Realize You Have A Choice)
--
SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS: Talk About Me (M.I.L., She Put The Wammee On Me)
THE RAMONES: Chinese Rock (Rhino, End Of The Century)
THE COUNT BISHOPS: I Ain't Got You (Soul Jazz, VA: Punk 45: Sick On You!)
CLIFF HILLIS: Good Morning And Goodnight (single)
SWEET: Love Is Like Oxygen (Capitol, The Best Of Sweet)
--
THE MONKEES: Sugar Man [backing track--Take 6] (Rhino, Headquarters: Super  Deluxe Edition)
THE UNDERTONES: Wrong Way (Rykodisc, The Undertones)
JEFF BECK: Hi Ho Silver (Epic, Beckology)
THE ENGLISH BEAT: Click Click (IRS, I Just Can't Stop It)
STEPHEN LAWRENSON: Here & Now (Kool Kat Musik, Chants Of A Lifetime)
WRECKLESS ERIC: Rags And Tatters (Salvo, Hits, Misses, Rags & Tatters)
THE SHANG HI LOS: Billy (Rum Bar, Aces Eights & Heartbreaks)
THE COOLIES: Yeah I Don't Know (Wicked Cool, Uh Oh! It's...The Coolies)
--
STEVE STOECKEL: Just One Kiss (Big Stir, The Power Of And)
THE 101'ERS: Keys To Your Heart (Soul Jazz, VA: Punk 45: Sick On You!)
JENNY DEE & THE DEELINQUENTS: Getaway (DeeVeeUs, Electric Candyland)
THE PATTI SMITH GROUP: So You Want To Be (A Rock 'n' Roll Star) (Arista, Wave)
THE SPONGETONES: One More Day (Loaded Goat, Too Clever By Half)
OLD 97's: Turn Off The TV (ATO, Twelfth)
THE YARDBIRDS: Train Kept A-Rollin' (Rhino, Ultimate!)
THE BEATLES: Tomorrow Never Knows (Apple, Revolver)
--
THE YARDBIRDS: You're A Better Man Than I ( Warner Archives, BBC Sessions)
BIG STAR: ST 100/6 (Ardent, # 1 Record/Radio City)