BOPPIN's Monthly Day Off

Once a month, Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) very briefly comes to its senses and takes a twenty-four break from its clinically doody-headed commitment to daily public posting. On that day, we instead prep a private post, offered exclusively to our beloved paid patrons.

This month's private post is another chapter from my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), this time celebrating the brilliance of "Do You Love Me" by the Contours.

The Contours chapter goes out to patrons tomorrow. Regular daily public posting will also resume here tomorrow. 

Wanna get in on the monthly private posts? Well! You can join the proud 'n' generous ranks of my paid supporters for a mere $2 a month: FUND ME, BABY!

10 SONGS (1200th Show Edition): 9/29/2023

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 # 1200. This show is available as a podcast.

THE STALLIONS: Why

We subtitled this week's blowout 1200th show as "Some Fave Raves From Our First 1199." Milestone shows present the challenge of trying to figure out which among many, many key tracks we wanna spin as representation of whatever the hell it is we do. But the result is always invigmoratin', and even though we had to omit a ton of epic greatness, I think this is one of the best milestone playlists we've done; and over the course of 1200 efforts, we've hit upon some pretty good ones along the way.

I determined weeks ago that I wanted to open this 1200th show with "Why," a cover of a '60s nugget originally done by an obscure group called the Dirty Wurds. The Pandoras covered "Why" in the '80s, but a version recorded in the '90s by NYC punk combo the Stallions just friggin' rules in all its chaotic splendor. For a very long time, the Stallions'"Why" was the all-time most-played track on TIRnRR, almost entirely on the strength of how often we played it in our first few years on the air. Big Star's "September Gurls" snatched the most-played title away from the Stallions quite some time ago, but "Why" is still an integral part of this show's DNA (even though we don't play it much anymore).

I used to introduce this song with a scream, a silly move that maybe two of our fans liked and half of our DJ team abhorred. But I tried to introduce it again in that rambunctious manner for this special show: It's not just any song! It's not just any band! It's...THE STALLIONS WITH "WHY"ON SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK!!!!!!!

Tried it. Recorded it that way. It was...almost adequate, but not quite. I can't do the scream anymore, so I redid it without the scream. Time waits for no one, Stallion or otherwise. Ours is not to reason....

MANNIX: Highway Lines

When I opened with "Why," Dana immediately followed it with "Highway Lines" by Mannix. Good choice. After two years with the Stallions at the top of our season-ending countdowns, this track from Mannix's album Come To California was our # 1 track in 2001, and it has been a TIRnRR staple ever since. Even more than "Why" or "September Gurls," I regard "Highway Lines" as the single defining track of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. It later appeared on our compilation This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3, and it will have a chapter in my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).

Another saga 'bout another love gone wrong

And the DJ knows what I'm goin' through

In "Highway Lines," the radio playing in the car serves as sympathetic companion to our lovelorn hero as he drives across the country to make one last stand to salvage a doomed relationship. For TIRnRR # 1200, "Highway Lines" seemed like an ideal lead-in to Laurie Biagini's "Hey Mr. DJ." 

LAURIE BIAGINI: Hey Mr. DJ

Hey Mr. DJ, play me a song

As much as we've loved pret' near everything Laurie has crafted over the years, "Hey Mr. DJ" stands at the pinnacle. We realize it's not about us--the song's titular DJ is Laurie's beacon on a Saturday night, the evening before our own declaration that the weekend stops here--but man, it resonates in a way that's just magic to anyone who ever loved the radio. The track was on her 2022 album Stranger In The Mirror; when we started putting together This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5 last year, "Hey Mr. DJ" was the only thing we considered for that compilation's opening track. It initiates TIRnRR Volume 5's girl-and-boy song cycle (an idea that was a sort-of reimagining of this song cycle). "Hey Mr. DJ" is absolutely essential to the concept for TIRnRR Volume 5. 

Hey Mr. DJ; play us some songs.

THE RAMONES: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

For three years in a row--2009 through 2011--we undertook three year-long gimmicks on the show. And when I say we, I mean me. Dana's not really one for the gimmicks. Our first gimmick was The 50 KISS Strategy, a straightforward vow to play 50 different KISS tracks within a single calendar year. The following year offered the expanded ambition of The Hundred Hollies Initiative, with a vicious penalty for failure: if we didn't accomplish our goal of playing 100 different Hollies tracks before the year was up, we would have to play Bob Seger's awful "Old Time Rock & Roll" as penance.

Our audience shuddered. Cringed. We played 101 Hollies tracks, just to be sure. Crisis averted!

And 2011 brought us 301 Songs About 301 Girls, an effort to program 301 songs with a girl's name in each title. It started with a goal of 200 songs, grew to 300, and then I added one more because Dana played a 300th qualifying track before I could get to my intended 300th, "Christi Girl" by the Flashcubes. Dana may not be one for gimmicks, but he knows what records to play. 301 Songs About 301 Girls was a lot of fun, and it received the best sustained reaction of any crazy scheme we've ever executed. 

And the scheme started with Girl # 1: Sheena. AKA: The record that changed my life, performed by the American Beatles, the greatest American rock 'n' roll band of all time, the Ramones. I could write a book about 'em. New York City really has it all.

THE FLASHCUBES: Forget About You

Although we play a lot of new music nearly every week, a 1200th show should be about legacy. We determined that this week's playlist should only include tracks that accrued some previous TIRnRR airplay. We'll start to address the growing backlog of brand-new releases on our next show. On to # 1201!

But nor did we want to only play older tracks. So this week, in addition to some of the relatively recent individual gems that have already established themselves among our Fave Raves (treats by Kid Gulliver, the Linda Lindas, Dolph Chaney, Circe Link and Christian Nesmith, the Brothers Steve, Pop Co-Op, the Half Cubes, Harmonic Dirt, and the Gold Needles), some of our designated legacy acts are represented by pure gold from the 2020s rather than from previous decades. The Grip Weeds are here with "Lady Friend" instead of "Every Minute," Kelley Ryan with "The Church Of Laundry" instead of something by her old rockin' pop DBA astroPuppees, etc. If we'd gotten around to playing the Catholic Girls, it woulda been their current single "Hear My Prayer" in place of "Someone New" or "Should Have Been Mine."

A track from Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes should be considered a given for any TIRnRR milestone. Hell, the 'Cubes are a given for us on most weeks. The Flashcubes have classic tracks from their original run in the '70s, reunion tracks from the '90s, and a treasure trove of fresh goodies since the dawn of this 21st century. They even wrote and recorded a song about us, a track which led off This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 1 in 2005.

The Flashcubes have a new album out, an all-covers set called Pop Masters. It will surprise absolutely no one to hear that it's my top album of 2023. Its current single is an ace cover of the Motors' "Forget About You." 

For our 1200th show, we played that one. Legacy grows. Don't forget to smile everybody! It's the Flashcubes.

TIRnRR ALLSTARS: Waterloo Sunset

TIRnRR first went on the air on December 27th, 1998. You can read up on our weird history here, from the first Dana & Carl radio series We're Your Friends For Now in 1992 through the various limited projects that occupied us during the bulk of the '90s, the debut of TIRnRR, and hijinks that ensued thereafter.

As TIRnRR approaches its 25th anniversary, our stubborn refusal to just go away already is enabled, at least in part, by our seamless mimicry of both Blanche DuBois and Billy Shears: we have always relied on the kindness of strangers, and we get by with a little help from our friends.

This strange kindness and friendly help saved the show (and the station itself) when we were all about to be kicked to the curb at the end of 2006. I'm not exaggerating; we were done, kaput, bereft of life, breathing our last gasps, about to transition from -ing to -ed. Our supporters dictated otherwise. Earlier this year, America's Sweetheart Irene Peña invited us to an interview on her Twitch channel, Irene Peña Music, and then surprised us by presenting a donation on behalf of Irene herself and a number of our other talented pals; you see that moment here. We are blessed with kind, strange, helpful friends.

Another example of this is the 2019 release Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. Available as a Futureman Records digital download or a Kool Kat Musik CD, Waterloo Sunset collects tracks by the Click Beetles, Eytan Mirsky, Vegas With Randolph, Pop Co-Op, Michael Slawter, Gretchen's Wheel, the Grip Weeds, the Armoires, the Anderson Council, Pacific Soul Ltd., and Ms. Irene Peña. It was assembled in secret, and presented to us as a fait accompli. I added liner notes (already stressing the Blanche DuBois angle), but otherwise? We had nothing to do with it. It was all the work of our friends. All of it.

The compilation is toplined by a fresh cover of the Kinks' sublime "Waterloo Sunset," performed by TIRnRR Allstars. Our assembled avengers include all of Pop Co-Op--Steve Stoeckel, Bruce Gordon (the track's studio wunderkind), Joel Tinnel, and Stacy Carson--plus Keith Klingensmith (who masterminded the project), Eytan Mirsky, Teresa Cowles, Dan Pavelich, Rich Firestone, and, of course, Irene Peña. The Allstars deliver a stunning rendition of a much-loved classic, and we continue to play it with some frequency. It certainly had to be a part of our 1200th show.

1200 shows. See our friends? They got us here. And as long as we gaze on all of this, all of this...

...we are in paradise.

THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM: 2 + 2 = ?

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

We still ain't playin' "Old Time Rock & Roll."

THE POPTARTS: I Won't Let You Let Me Go

The very first song played on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1, December 27, 1998. It wouldn't have been a proper 1200th show without a spin of the Poptarts.

EYTAN MIRSKY: This Year's Gonna Be Our Year

Maybe it will be, Brother Eytan. Maybe it will.

CHUCK BERRY: Promised Land

Is there a promised land? I don't know. But Chuck Berry wrote and recorded an irresistible song about that prospect, that possibility. We may as well keep headin' on down that road. Here's to the promise. Here's to the road that brought us this far. Here's to what we hope we'll find if we get to wherever it is we're going. Tell the folks back home: Dana & Carl are on the line.

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

Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.

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, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

GABBA GABBA HEY! Remember the lightning

Back in April, S.W. Lauden was nice enough to interview me about my book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones. The interview was for Lauden's blog Remember The Lightning, and you can read his piece about me 'n' my Ramones book right here.

The Remember The Lightning piece was (and remains!) much appreciated, and I'm further grateful to Lauden for the essential role he played in introducing me to my publisher Rare Bird Books in the first place. Thanks again, Steve!

For posterity, athough it looks better with Lauden's filter 'n' finesse over at Remember The Lightning,  I also wanna preserve the interview itself here at Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do). So: TAKE IT, S.W.! 1-2-3-4...!

1. Can you tell me how you first discovered the Ramones and what it was about the band that so captured your imagination?

I've referred to 1977 as my crucible, the year that forged my musical tastes and POV. Upon further review, I'm not sure if that's fair. I was 17, in the spring of my senior year in high school. I'd already been listening to AM Top 40 radio for years, digging everything from Smokey Robinson and the Miracles to Badfinger to Slade, et al. By '77, I'd seen my first concert (KISS) and I was still enjoying a lot of the contemporary rock and pop stuff, particularly Fleetwood Mac, Boston, Sweet, and KISS.

But my truest allegiance was to the music of the '60s, particularly the British Invasion and American reaction: Beatles, Monkees, Animals, Dave Clark Five, Paul Revere and the Raiders. I'd just become a fan of the Kinks--seismic discovery!--as well as the Yardbirds and Buffalo Springfield. I wouldn't have been able to articulate it at the time, but I'm sure I longed for the music of 1977 to be as great as the music of 1965 and '66. I remember taking a magic marker to the underside of a cabinet at school and scrawling Where is Eric Burdon now that we need him?

I had started listening to more FM radio. WOUR-FM in Utica, NY sponsored local distribution of Phonograph Record Magazine. PRM was a national rockin' pop music tabloid, and it blew my mind. 1977. PRM was my introduction to punk rock.

I can't explain my instant fascination with this stuff, this seemingly outrageous noise created by acts I'd neither heard nor heard of. But I was fascinated, absolutely. 

I'm not sure if I first heard of the Ramones in the pages of PRM or via Playboy magazine's negative review of the Ramones' second album Leave Home. The descriptions and images of the Ramones and their music scared me and thrilled me. I couldn't even imagine what their records might sound like. But I was aching to find out.

2. What was your relationship as a fan to the Ramones and their music in the '70s vs when you did the interviews for this book?

When I got to college in August of '77, I carpet-bombed the campus radio station with requests for the bands I'd read about in PRM. WOUR had played the Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" that summer. Brockport College's WBSU gave me Television, Blondie, and the Ramones. WBSU's spin of "Blitzkrieg Bop" was the first time I heard the Ramones. I picked up 45s of the Pistols' "God Save The Queen" and the Ramones' "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker." I hadn't heard the latter song before playing that 45 at home over Thanksgiving break. I listened to it over and over for at least twenty minutes. It was the greatest thing I'd ever heard in my young existence. It is no exaggeration when I refer to "Sheena" as the record that changed my life.

My first-ever essay about rock 'n' roll was an emeritus contribution to my high school newspaper in '78, extolling the virtues of punk in general and the Ramones in particular. My first Ramones concert was in the spring of '78, with the Runaways and the Flashcubes. I wound up seeing the Ramones nine times, 1978 to 1990. [NB: I've since realized that it was probably one eight times.] I bought all of the albums, the first three after the fact, the rest in sequence as they were released. 

That enthusiasm never really dimmed. I kept wishing that the Ramones would break through to the mass popular success I felt they deserved. I wanted the world to celebrate the Ramones like I celebrated the Ramones.

My goal in becoming someone who writes about pop music was to talk about the music I thought people should hear. Power pop. Garage. The Monkees. The Flashcubes. Dozens of indie and lesser-known acts. And certainly the Ramones. I figured as long as my work wore its battered heart on its sleeve, nothing could ever make me want to separate my fandom from my writing. Write what ya know. Write about what you love. Enthusiasm is its own reward, and it fuels better work. Why change that?

3. Was there any good reason to believe in 1976 that the Ramones would be at the peak of their mainstream popularity in the '90s?

None at all. In the late '70s, even though the Ramones were a cult act, they seemed to be on the way up. "Sheena" charted in Billboard. "Rockaway Beach" made it to # 66, I think. There was always this feeling that the Ramones were just one or two lucky breaks away from hitting big. It never quite happened. Looking back, maybe after-the-fact recognition of the Ramones seems like it was inevitable. It didn't seem that way at the time.

4. How did these interviews come about?

I freelanced for Goldmine magazine from 1986 to 2006. In 1994, GM editor Jeff Tamarkin was looking for ways to celebrate the magazine's 20th anniversary. '94 was also the Ramones' 20th anniversary, and Jeff accepted my pitch that a cover story about the Ramones oughtta be a given. The Ramones' publicist Ida Langsam set up my phone interviews with the then-current members of the group: Joey, Johnny, Marky, and C. J. The new book provides an opportunity to experience the larger conversation, more material than I could fit into a single magazine article.

5. What are a few new things you learned about the Ramones after  conducting these interviews? 

From a facts-and-figures standpoint, I had a pretty good working knowledge of the group's history. I used Jim Bessman's book The Ramones: An American Band as a primary reference resource, but otherwise I knew the Ramones story well enough that the interviews didn't teach me much that I didn't already know. The only fresh facts I recall were learning that the Ramones had recorded a cover of "Surfin' Safari" for the Japanese release of the Acid Eaters album, and that they'd recorded an earlier version of "Surfin' Safari" with Rodney Bingenheimer and the Honeys, billed as Rodney and the Brunettes. I'm still in need of a personal copy of that one (from a 1984 various-artists LP called All Year Party! Never issued on CD, dammit).

6. Was there anything specific you learned during the interviews that changed your opinion of the band or any of the band members?

Quite apart from the nuts and bolts of the Ramones' story, speaking to the members of the group was indeed revelatory. If I ever had any notion that the Ramones had lost connection with their own work--and I confess their less-than-compelling live album Loco Live may have prompted such a notion--that silly idea was dispelled by the level of engagement each of them brought to the interviews. They spoke with me at length, and they were clearly passionate about making sure their story was chronicled accurately.

Before the interviews, I was warned that Johnny could be difficult. He wasn't; he was direct, but charming. He cared about Ramones fans, and he seemed genuinely interested in what I thought of each of the Ramones' albums. He was aghast that I liked "Something To Believe In" (from the 1986 album Animal Boy), but waaaay more good-natured than his reputation would have suggested.

In '94, I don't think the public was fully aware of just how much Joey and Johnny were estranged. I could feel that tension in the interviews. But each of the Ramones still viewed the group as a collective. Brudders. Marky was surprised when I told him how glowingly Joey had spoken of Marky's talent, how he'd compared Marky to Keith Moon and Ginger Baker. Joey was especially determined to credit the contributions of each member of the group, including Johnny. Joey complimented Johnny's guitar playing, gave Johnny proper credit for how much his guitar sound made them THE RAMONES! Right before our conversation ended, Joey stressed to me the importance of talking to Johnny, getting Johnny's specific perspective. These were the guys that supposedly hated each other? Man, they were more of a family than anyone realized, then or now.

7. Will there ever be another band like the Ramones?

No. There'll never be another Beatles either. 

8. What are your five favorite Ramones songs of all time?

FIVE…?! I hate you. But I knew the job was dangerous when I took it. 

My top two are easy: "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker." The latter changed my life, and it's still just an essential everyday track for me. "Blitzkrieg Bop" didn't have that immediate impact, but I now regard it as my favorite.

Third is also easy: from the farewell album !Adios Amigos!, the Ramones' version of Tom Waits' "I Don't Want To Grow Up" is as vital as anything on their classic first four albums. Like I say in the book: Growing up is for squares, man. The Ramones weren't gonna do it. We don't have to do it either.

I'll round out my top 5 with "Carbona Not Glue" and...everything else. I'll go with "Babysitter," but it could just as well have been "I Wanna Be Sedated," and several others. I'm a fan.

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

Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.

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, streaming at SPARK stream, archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

Fake THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Playlist: Three-Word Song Titles

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.

Continuing the series begun with previous imaginary playlists collecting one-word song titles and two-word song titles, we turn our short attention span to...wait, what's the next number? Oh yeah: THREE-WORD SONG TITLES! Three words and the truth. Or three words and some lies. No shortage of likely prospects, and a long list of other great tracks that could have been included. It's ALL pop music! We'll move on up to four-word song titles next time.

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, streaming at SPARK stream, archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here. 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

Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!!

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

FAKE TIRnRR PLAYLIST: Three-Word Song Titles

PARTHENON HUXLEY: Double Our Numbers

THE BEATLES: If I Fell

DONNA SUMMER: I Feel Love

THE HEARTBREAKERS: Born To Lose

SUZI QUATRO: Tear Me Apart

STEVIE WONDER: Uptight (Everything's Alright)

--

ARETHA FRANKLIN: Chain Of Fools

THE COWSILLS: Love American Style

THE RAMONES: Swallow My Pride

THE SELECTER: On My Radio

TRACY ULLMAN: They Don't Know

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: It's Your Thing

--

THE FLASHCUBES: Forget About You

HEADGIRL: Please Don't Touch

JOHNNY JOHNSON & THE BANDWAGON: Mr. Tambourine Man

JUDY COLLINS: Both Sides Now

THE YARDBIRDS: For Your Love

THE TAMS: I've Been Hurt

--

THE KINKS: Juke Box Music

BADFINGER: No Matter What

THE WHO: I Can't Explain

THE MYNAH BIRDS: It's My Time

LITTLE RICHARD: Rip It Up

THE COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: You Do Run

--

THE SUPREMES: All I Want

JUICE NEWTON: Queen Of Hearts

JOE JACKSON: I'm The Man

THE LEFT BANKE: Walk Away Renee

BLONDIE: In The Flesh

SPLIT ENZ: History Never Repeats

--

SIBLING RIVALRY: See My Way

THE DAVE CLARK FIVE: Try Too Hard

JOAN ARMATRADING: Me Myself I

HEART: Kick It Out

ARTHUR CONLEY: Sweet Soul Music

THE ANIMALS: It's My Life

--

THE PANDORAS: It's About Time

MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: Nowhere To Run

JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS: Light Of Day

MILLIE SMALL: My Boy Lollipop

TELEVISION: See No Evil

SPARKS: Tips For Teens

--

BONEY M: My Friend Jack

THE MONKEES: Oh My My

PIPER: Who's Your Boyfriend

KISS: Calling Dr. Love

THE ROLLING STONES: Paint It, Black

PATTI SMITH GROUP: Because The Night

THE MOST: Take A Chance

CHUBBY CHECKER: Let's Twist Again

--

IGGY & THE STOOGES: Search And Destroy

THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: First Plane Home

THE SMITHEREENS: Some Other Guy

OSCAR TONEY JR.: No Sad Songs

FANNY: I've Had It

NICK LOWE: So It Goes

ROY ORBISON: Oh, Pretty Woman

THE VOGUES: Five O'Clock World

--

FREDDIE & THE DREAMERS: Do The Freddie

HERB ALPERT & THE TIJUANA BRASS: Mexican Road Race

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE: 2 + 2 = ?

Another sneak peek at a chapter from my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). In the book (if it becomes a book), the chapter seen here today will immediately follow this chapter.

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!

THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM: 2 + 2 = ?

Written by Bob Seger

Produced by Hideout Productions

Single, Capitol Records, 1968

Maybe you never knew that Bob Seger made a punk record. If you didn't know, it's not your fault; neither music history nor Seger himself has seemed interested in the secret revelation of a dynamic, furious 1968 record called "2 + 2 = ?"

It's a difficult dichotomy to reconcile. Seger's mass-market reputation is built largely upon a series of popular mid-tempo heartland ballads and MOR rockers, beloved by many, despised by others. They are soundtracks for truck commercials, banal and inoffensive radio fare with the bland personality of margarine. 

Even as I type that, I really don't mean any disrespect to those who love "Like A Rock" or "Against The Wind" or even--shudder--"We've Got Tonight" and "Old Time Rock & Roll." Nor to margarine. There are no guilty pleasures in pop music. If you like something, a guy writing dismissively about your familiar favorites is unlikely to alter your tastes, nor should it. We say again: Dig what you dig. Just, y'know, forgive me for cringing when I hear any of that stuff. I have to dig what I wanna dig, too.

The contrast in styles makes Seger's earlier work all the more remarkable to me. I knew Seger's fabulous Chuck Berry pastiche "Get Out Of Denver" via '70s covers by Eddie and the Hot Rods on record and the Flashcubes live, both incendiary performances that were not departures from Seger's own fine original rendition. Much later, I rejected Bob Seger and the Last Heard's 1967 track "Heavy Music" as "a stupid song about sex"--which it is--but ultimately grew to appreciate its own sweaty, boppin' merit. 

True revelation came via a deeper dive into Seger's '60s and early '70s c.v. Although it's been said that Seger didn't want that hard-to-find material reissued, my friend Rich Firestone thought I should at least hear it and judge its rockin' worth. A little bit of it was, like, wretched--"Ballad Of The Yellow Beret?" Really?--while a lot of it was...was....

Goddammit. A lot of it was magnificent.

It's galling to admit you've been wrong. In this case, I comfort myself with a reminder that I still loathe the songs that made me critical of Seger's work to begin with, and (more importantly) that it's good to discover a redemptive portion of an artist's body of work. Seger's supposed to be a good guy; I'm happy to find concrete evidence that he made some records that I can love without reservation. Some of this has since been reissued on a 2018 collection called Heavy Music: The Complete Cameo Recordings 1966-1967. All of it remains relatively obscure.

"Get Out Of Denver" had been far and away my favorite Seger record. This fresh treasure trove of archival nuggets introduced me to new favorites, recorded and originally released under the names Bob Seger and the Last Heard, the Bob Seger System, and Bob Seger solo. "Noah." "Rosalie." "Lucifer." Renewed spins of the still-great "Get Out Of Denver" and the now-welcome "Heavy Music (Part 1)." Rockin', man. And there was the immense, monumental "East Side Story," a triumphant appropriation of Van Morrison's "Gloria" riff in service of a tenement tragedy that was absolutely The Greatest Record Ever Made for the approximately two and a half minutes of my first spin of its cantankerous glory.

"2 + 2 = ?" is even greater.

We talked a while back about Nuggets, Lenny Kaye's groundbreaking 1972 celebration of 1960s garage, punk, and psychedelic rockin' pop. Nuggets spawned imitations, expansions, and an accepted understanding of its guiding DIY philosophy. It's no exaggeration to call Nuggets the most influential various-artists rock compilation ever released. It established a recognized aesthetic of '60s garage punk, penciled in some broad parameters for discussion, and elevated critical appreciation of previously-undervalued acts like the Standells, the Chocolate Watchband, and the Electric Prunes.

Listen to me: Not only would "2 + 2 = ?" by the Bob Seger System have fit in perfectly on the original Nuggets, it would have been one of its single most striking cuts. As you consider that, consider also that Nuggets already includes some tracks discussed elsewhere in this very book, and some others (by the Remains, the Nazz, the Electric Prunes, Castaways, and more) that could have been. The surly brilliance of Seger's "2 + 2 = ?" is of that same transcendent proto-punk ilk.

The Greatest Record Ever Made. By Bob Seger. The mind bogglewoggles.

How did this happen? How could the Bob Seger of the horrid peacenik-baiting diatribe "Ballad Of The Yellow Beret" also be responsible for the gooseflesh-raising intensity of the antiwar "2 + 2 = ?" And how did that guy go on to produce such mundane background noise to such numbingly popular effect? Seger's large. He contains multitudes. 

But the multitudes need to hear "2 + 2 = ?" It's at least as savage as the Sex Pistols, as angry as the Clash, as explosive as the Stooges or the MC5. Never mind the bollocks, here's Bob Seger. Seger is a punk rocker.

(And just in case you wonder, the title is pronounced "two plus two equals what." As in your likely answer when you hear it for the first time:  WHAT...?!)

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

Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.

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, streaming at SPARK stream, archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1200: Some Fave Raves From The First 1199

1200 shows. Still here.

We wanted to celebrate this latest in our inexplicable series of milestones with a three-hour blast through a few Fave Raves from our first 1199 shows. This radio record party includes stuff from years ago, and it also includes recent releases that have already established themselves as new TIRnRR perennials. There were dozens of other artists and other tracks we would have liked to squeeze in--a substantial but very incomplete few of them are listed as bonus tracks beneath the actual playlist below--but I think we struck a good balance, a decent representation of whatever the hell it is we do each week:

The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet.

And next week: TIRnRR # 1201. 1202 the week after that. This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio's 25th anniversary at the end of the year, and then January brings the 32nd anniversary of the first pre-TIRnRR Dana & Carl shows in 1992.

Still here. If we've told you once we've told you 1200 times: This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

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, streaming at SPARK stream, archived at Westcott Radio

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

HEY! Looking for something to read? Check out Carl's Ramones book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones You can also follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/ If you would like to receive links to each day's blog, please reply to this email.

TIRnRR # 1200: Some Fave Raves From The First 1199 [9/24/2023]

THE STALLIONS: Why (Junk, Hey Baby It's The Stallions)

MANNIX: Highway Lines (Futureman, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3)

LAURIE BIAGINI: Hey Mr. DJ (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5)

HELLO HELEN: Fall's Far Away (Futureman, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 1)

LULU: To Sir, With Love [Museum Outings Montage] (Retroactive, VA: To Sir, With Love OST)

IRENE PEÑA: Must've Been Good (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock ''n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)

--

THE RAMONES: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (Rhino, Rocket To Russia) [301 Songs About 301 Girls]

THE WHO: The Kids Are Alright (MCA, My Generation)

KISS: Shout It Out Loud (Mercury, Destroyer) [The 50 KISS Strategy]

THE BEVIS FROND: Lights Are Changing (Rhino, VA: Children Of Nuggets)

THE HOLLIES: Look Through Any Window (EMI, All The Hits And More) [The Hundred Hollies Initiative]

THE CHORDS: Maybe Tomorrow (Polydor, So Far Away)

--

THE FLASHCUBES: Forget About You (Big Stir, Pop Masters)

FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE: Better Things (Rykodisc, VA: This Is Where I Belong)

THE SMITHEREENS: Face The World With Pride (Sunset Blvd, The Lost Album)

HOLLY GOLIGHTLY: Box Elder (Damaged Goods, Singles Round-Up)

THE ANDERSONS!: From The Get-Go (Lime Vinyl, Separated At Birth)

THE LINDA LINDAS: Claudia Kishi (single)

--

TIR'n'RR ALLSTARS: Waterloo Sunset (Futureman, VA: Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio)

KID GULLIVER: Forget About Him (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5)

HEADGIRL: Please Don't Touch (Lemon, GIRLSCHOOL: The Singles)

LES HANDCLAPS: Cacti Are Delicious Fruit (Handclaps, Ouh Ouh Ah!)

ROCKAWAY BITCH: Judy Is A Punk (Cretin, Rockaway Bitch)

WRECKLESS ERIC & AMY RIGBY: Do You Remember That (Southern Domestic, A Working Museum)

--

THE KINKS: You Really Got Me (Sanctuary, The Ultimate Collection)

THE BEAT: Rock N Roll Girl (Wagon Wheel, The Beat)

THE RUBINOOS: Nowhereseville (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)

DOLPH CHANEY: My Good Twin (Big Stir, This Is Dolph Chaney)

CIRCE LINK & CHRISTIAN NESMITH: I'm On Your Side (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)

THE BROTHERS STEVE: We Got The Hits (Big Stir, # 1)

--

POP CO-OP: It Ain't Easy Being A Boy (Silent Bugler, Four State Solution)

THE GRIP WEEDS: Lady Friend (Jem, DiG)

MINISTERS OF LOVE: Times Like This (n/a, Confessions)

KELLEY RYAN: The Church Of Laundry (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5)

MICK MITSCH'S LAGANSLOVE: Bogs Of Mayo (n/a, Back To The Bog)

COCKEYED GHOST: I Hate Rock 'n' Roll (Big Deal, The Scapegoat Factory)

--

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM: 2 + 2 = ? (Capitol, single)

COTTON MATHER: My Before And After (Copper, Kontiki)

MR. ENCRYPTO: The Last Time [a cappella--expanded mix] (unreleased)

THE JOHNNY POPSTAR LUV EXPLOSION: Oh Renee (Futureman, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 1)

THE COWSILLS: She Said To Me (Futureman, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 2)

MATTHEW SWEET: Sick Of Myself (Zoo Entertainment, 100 % Fun)

--

THE MASTICATORS: He's The One [Unsound version] (Futureman, Complete Masticators!)

BIG STAR: September Gurls (Ardent, # 1 Record/Radio City)

JUSTINE & THE UNCLEAN: The Signal Light (Red On Red, The Signal Light)

THE HALF CUBES: Love's Melody (unreleased)

THE POPTARTS: I Won't Let You Let Me Go (PlumTone, Fresh...Out Of The Toaster)

HARMONIC DIRT: Maybe (n/a, Anthracite)

--

EYTAN MIRSKY: This Year's Gonna Be Our Year (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5)

MARY LOU LORD: Right On 'Till Dawn (Kill Rock Stars, Speeding Motorcycle)

ANNY CELSI: Empty Hangers (Futureman, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3)

THE GOLD NEEDLES: Billy Liar (Jem, What's Tomorrow Ever Done For You?)

MAD MONSTER PARTY: No Matter What I Do (n/a, Mad Monster Party)

THE MUFFS: On My Own (Omnivore, No Holiday)

CHUCK BERRY: Promised Land (MCA, The Anthology)

THE BEATLES: Two Of Us (Apple, Let It Be)

--

THE MONKEES: (Theme From) The Monkees [TV version] (Rhino, The Monkees [expanded edition])

*****

BONUS TRACKS! We wanted to play 'em (and a bunch of others too), but we ran outta show. This is just what I had written down; Dana probably had a bunch more, too.

THE RICHARDS: Five Personalities

PARANOID LOVESICK: Teen Town

THE OOHS: Victim Of The Night Time World

DANNY WILKERSON & LANNIE FLOWERS WITH ORBIS MAX: One Of A Kind

THE PHENOMENAL CATS: Seagirl

DEAN LANDEW: After Work

ALLAN KAPLON: Every Single Day

ATHENSVILLE: Head Start

HELIUM ANGEL: Georgie

LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: Can't Wait 'Till Summer

THE KENNEDYS: Half Of Us

CHICKLET: Out Of Sight

DM3: 1 x 2 x Devastated

THE CLICK BEETLES: Try Girl

THE FINKERS: Last Thing On My Mind

THE BLONDES: Suzi Quatro

CLOUD ELEVEN: Tokyo Aquarium

BEAT ANGELS: Go Your Way

KELLY'S HEELS: Tell Me If It's Over

THE EVERYDAY THINGS: She Likes It Like That

THE MOBERLYS: I Return

THE RULERS: I Want My Ramones Records Back

ARROGANCE: Open Window

DERRICK ANDERSON: When I Was Your Man

THE ARMOIRES: Great Distances

THE BANDWAGON: You

THE VILLAS: Someone To Hold On To

THE DONNAS: Living After Midnight

DIGBY: Spirit

THE JAM: Absolute Beginners

NICK LOWE: Cruel To Be Kind

THE HUMBUGS: She's Not Sad

CRAIG MARSHALL: Radio Girl

THE SINGLES: He Can Go, You Can't Stay

OUTRAGEOUS CHERRY: Girl, You Have Magic Inside You

THE LOLAS: Yer Gonna Need My Lovin' Someday

MARMALADE SOULS: Famous

LISA MYCHOLS: Make Believe

THE RECORDS: Hearts Will Be Broken

THE PLIMSOULS: Playing With Jack

RAY PAUL: How Do You Know

THE CATHOLIC GIRLS: Hear My Prayer

VEGAS WITH RANDOLPH: Supergirl

THE OHIO EXPRESS: Had To Be Me

THE RARE BREED: Beg, Borrow & Steal

THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Wouldn't You Like It

POPDUDES: Desperation Time

CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: Goodnight Sailor

THE MARLOWES: Pilgrim Soul

HOOVER & MARTINEZ: What The Heart Wants

THE SPONGETONES: (My Girl) Maryanne

SEX CLARK FIVE: Fool I Was

MICHAEL CARPENTER: I've Been Loving You

THE PENETRATORS: Teenage Lifestyle

THREE DAYS AWAKE: Chills

1.4.5.: Your Own World

EELS: Eyes Down

JEREMY: Meant To Be

THE B.A.R.: Katie's Shoes

PUFFY AMIYUMI: Love So Pure

THE COOLIES: Yeah I Don't Know

WILSON PICKETT: Sugar Sugar

STYX: Kiss Your Ass Goodbye

SUGAR: If I Can't Change Your Mind

BO DIDDLEY: Bo Diddley 1969

THE LEGAL MATTERS: Light Up The Sky

ROBB BENSON: The Tree Mind

FRISBIE: Momentito

SCREEN TEST: Sound Of The Radio

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: Temptation Inside Your Heart

RONNIE DARK: Sarah

KENNY HOWES & THE YEAH!: Sheila, She

THE MOCKERS: More Important Things

ROCKPILE: Heart

GRETCHEN'S WHEEL: Plans

THE SUPREMES: All I Want

BILL BERRY: 1-800-Colonoscopy

THE BOOBYTRAPS: Sha Lala

THE DUKES OF STRATOSPHEAR: Vanishing Girl

THE PIPER DOWNS: 10 Speed

BEAUTY SCENE OUTLAWS: Carl Cafarelli

THE HOLE IN THE WALL GANG: Dana's On The Radio