Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Fake THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Playlist: Our 60 Most-Played Acts In 2022

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl is simply too large a concept to be neatly contained within a mere three-hour weekly time slot. Hence these occasional fake TIRnRR playlists, detailing shows we're never really going to do...but could.

Now that this year's epic countdown show (playlist here and podcast here) is in the books, and now that we've also revealed our top 60 most-played artists in 2022, let's supplement the celebration with a fabricated playlist. The real-life show presented our 60 most-played tracks over the past year; today's exercise in fakery conjures a playlist of the most-played artists, but without duplicating any tracks from the actual countdown show.

And that...proved to be a challenge, at least on the opening track. Our # 60 most-played artist in 2022 was the Flashcubes with the Spongetones, whose collaborative remake of the latter group's pop classic "Have You Ever Been Torn Apart?" was our # 9 most-played track in '22. It's also the only track that's ever been released by the combined forces of the 'Cubes and the 'Tones. If our fake playlist is determined not to repeat any tracks from Sunday's countdown show, we would just have to skip the Flashcubes with the Spongetones.

Or, y'know, we could just make something up.

I like that idea. 2022 gave us the delight of two of my favorite groups teaming up to record a Spongetones song. In 2023, imagination gives us the dream of this expanded combo reuniting for a Flashcubes song. I considered a number of Cubic originals, including Paul Armstrong's "You For Me," Gary Frenay's "You Got My Promise," and Arty Lenin's "When We Close Our Eyes." It would probably make the most sense to choose one of the Flashcubes' better-known numbers, like "Christi Girl," "Wait Till Next Week," "No Promise," or "It's You Tonight." But for the purposes of our idealized fakery, I opted for the 'Cubes and 'Tones meetin' up again for a performance of Arty's "Nothing Really Matters When You're Young," a song that offers one of the all-time best sets of post-teen alienation lyrics. In my head, I can hear Steve StoeckelJamie Hoover and/or Pat Walters singing the lines, Can't really think about life being fair/But you can't forget the faces that took away your share. Magic. It would be magic.

There's a lot of magic in the real world, too. We'll get back to crafting that magic on Sunday night. Meanwhile, here's a fanciful little salute to the musicmakers who racked up the most TIRnRR spins in 2022. Nothing really matters? We disagree. Music maters. Friends matter. Let's listen to some records together. 

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl--y'know, the real one--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 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

PS: SEND MONEY!!!! We need tech upgrades like Elvis needs boats. Spark Syracuse is supported by listeners like you. Tax-deductible donations are welcome at 
http://sparksyracuse.org/support/

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

Fake TIRnRR Playlist: Our 60 Most-Played Acts In 2022

60. THE FLASHCUBES WITH THE SPONGETONES: Nothing Really Matters When You're Young
59. DAVE COPE & THE SASS: Fascination Street
58. WENDI DUNLAP: Field Of View
57. ALLAN KAPLON: Notes On A Napkin
56. BARRY HOLDSHIP: Walking In My Dreams
55. THE LINDA LINDAS: Never Say Never
54. MICKY DOLENZ: Living On Lies
53. LES HANDCLAPS: Let's Go To The Beach
52. THE BEAT: Don't Wait Up For Me
51. TOM PETTY: Free Fallin'
50. THE UNDERTONES: It's Going To Happen!
49. SQUEEZE: Goodbye Girl
48. THE SPONGETONES: Anyway Town
47. TAMAR BERK: Skipping The Cracks
46. THE CHELSEA CURVE: Do All The Things
45. IN DEED: Don't Kill The Babe
44. THE RONETTES: Be My Baby
43. MAD MONSTER PARTY: Can't Stop Loving You
42. THE COWSILLS: She Said To Me
41. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: I'll Be Your Mirror
40. THE SMALL FACES: Lazy Sunday
39. THE PRETENDERS: Mystery Achievement
38. THE WHO: The Punk Meets The Godfather
37. DEADLIGHTS: Paralyzed
36. LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: That Time Is Now
35. GAME THEORY: Real Nighttime
34. BRAM TCHAIKOVSKY: Sara Smiles
33. KELLEY RYAN: Real Gone Girl
32. THE ENGLISH BEAT: Save It For Later
31. THE GO-GO'S: La La Land
30. PERILOUS: Always Dreamed Of
29. KID GULLIVER: Kiss And Tell
28. THE FOUR TOPS: If I Were A Carpenter
27. THE BANDWAGON: Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache
26. LULU: To Sir, With Love [Museum Outings Montage]
25. THE BABLERS: I Hope It Wouldn't Rain Tomorrow
24. THE ZOMBIES: She Does Everything For Me
23. THE ISLEY BROTHERS: It's Your Thing
22. DAVID BOWIE: Suffragette City
21. THE CLICK BEETLES: Don't You Call My Name
20. IRENE PEÑA: One More Night
19. HOLLY GOLIGHTLY: Time Will Tell
18. THE BANGLES: Tell Me
17. THE SMITHEREENS: Sorry
16. MIKE BROWNING: Wishes And Kings
15. RONNIE SPECTOR: All I Want
14. LAURIE BIAGINI: In The Here And Now
13. AMY RIGBY: I Don't Want To Talk About Love No More
12. BIG STAR: Back Of A Car
11. THE PRIMITIVES: Crash
10. THE GRIP WEEDS: Strange Bird [remix of original single]
9. EYTAN MIRSKY: American Splendor
8. THE MUFFS: On My Own
7. THE JAM: In The City
6. THE KINKS: Working At The Factory
5. POP CO-OP: Always In The Past
4. THE RAMONES: I Don't Want To Grow Up
3. THE MONKEES: You Just May Be The One
2. THE BEATLES: No Reply
1. THE FLASHCUBES: No Promise

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