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 # 1229. This show is available as a podcast.
THE HALF CUBES: The Girl
'Rubes and 'Cubes! The Half Cubes, of course, are piloted by two members of Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes--Tommy Allen and Gary Frenay--working with Randy Klawon and Fernando Perdomo. For their latest single, a remake of the Rubinoos' fabulous song "The Girl," the Half Cubes recruited half of the Rubinoos--Jon Rubin and Tommy Dunbar are your designated Half Rubes--and the result is the livin', breathin', boppin' embodiment of radio-ready. This one's for "The Girl!" We'll hear the track again on our next show.
WONDERBOY: Girl Songs
Could not resist following our opening spin of "The Girl" with "Girl Songs" by Wonderboy. Man, why would we wanna resist? As I've been saying: Girl songs mean a lot to me.
PAUL COLLINS: In Another World
I believe This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio has demonstrated our allegiance to the music of Paul Collins. I've been a fan since I snapped up his former group the Nerves' EP when I was a college student in the '70s, moving on from there to Paul's incredible "Walking Out On Love" and the debut of his next group, the Beat. The Beat's eponymous 1979 debut album is recognized as one power pop's all-time classics, and Paul Collins is legend in that genre. You don't need me to tell you that, sure, but I like saying it: Paul Collins is legend.
And his current album Stand Back And Take A Good Look is a worthy continuation of the legend. Its lead-off single "I'm The Only One For You" is already guaranteed a berth on our year-end countdown of TIRnRR's most-played tracks in 2024.
Now, we turn our attention to the album's latest single. "In Another World" renders its sense of wistful yearning all pretty 'n' pop, a janglier embodiment of eyes on the freakin' prize. We played it this week, and we're playing it again Sunday night. Airplay befits a power pop legend. We'll do our part.
In this world.
MONOGROOVE: One Tin Soldier
Last week's edition of 10 Songs recounted my history as a fan of Rin Lennon, starting decades ago with her former group On The Air and continuing into her contemporary work with Monogroove. From their most recent album The Flip Side, Monogroove made their TIRnRR debut with last week's spin of "I Think Of You."
This week, we returned to The Flip Side for Monogroove's cover of "One Tin Soldier." When I was an adolescent, I considered the Original Caste's 1969 hit version The Greatest Record Ever Made, and I ain't kiddin'. The song's plea for peace amid brutality struck a chord within my own simplistic young quest for deeper meaning; its subsequent use (via a cover by Coven) in the film Billy Jack placed its decrying of hating one's neighbor and cheating one's friend in a film otherwise devoted to scenes of its titular hero's ritual I-just-go-BERSERK! kicking of Fascist ass. A contradiction? I was thirteen when I saw the movie in '73, and I was all in. I figured the bad guys had it coming. GO AHEAD, Billy Jack!
The song is still welcome to my ears. Rin Lennon told me Monogroove "chose that song because it's a message that really needs to be heard. We indeed made it a bit more edgy so that the younger generation might listen to it."
The (subtle) edge serves Monogroove's version well. Maybe there will be trumpets blowing come the Judgement Day. A kingdom on a mountain. Peace on Earth. That's all we say.
ELENA ROGERS: Queen
In a recent email to some musicians, I made a passing reference to Elena Rogers as "insanely talented." That is, if anything, selling her short. We've been playing Elena's sublime single "I Feel Alive," and we'll follow suit with spins of her newest single "Queen." Insanely talented. We'd be crazy to even consider missing out on the chance to program all this great stuff. God save "Queen."
THE FLASHCUBES: Come Out And Play
Playtime! The Flashcubes have been a large part of my life for more than forty-five years. Looks like that's gonna continue in the near future. Work and play. Time to make something happen.
THE RAMONES: Swallow My Pride
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The Greatest Record Ever Made!
THE CYNZ: Just A Boy
Seven deadly Cynz! 1) We play the music of the Cynz; 2) We started our Cynzmania with their 2022 single "Narrow Hips;" 3) "Narrow Hips" accrued enough spins to be among our most-played tracks that year; 4) The Cynz keep releasing 'em, we keep playing them, from their covers of Holly and the Italians and the Kinks through decadent delights from their current album Little Miss Lost, and also delving into the ol' back catalogue here 'n' there; 5) The Little Miss Lost track "Just A Boy" made its first TIRnRR appearance on our April 7th show; 6) We played it again this week; 7) We make it three weeks in a row with our next show.
Great song. Bless us, Father (and Mother): We have CYNZ!
THE AMPLIFIER HEADS [FEATURING JEN D'ANGORA]: Something Went Down
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I tell ya, we've been trying to squeeze this into one of our playlists for weeks. You'd be amazed how quickly a three-hour time slot overfills itself. We were going to play "Something Went Down" when it was a single by the Amplifier Heads featuring Jen D'Angora. Never quite got to it. Now, that self-same rockin' pop summit meeting is on the freshly-minted new Amplifier Heads album Songs From They Came To Rock, and we'd damn well better get with the razzafrazzin' program awready. It spins again on Sunday. We're inept, but we mean well. And we can't deny those who came to rock.
KISS: Calling Dr. Love
Between recording this week's show on April 10th and airing it on April 14th, we learned that our friend Dominique King passed in late March. Dom was an active member of our little TIRnRR community; she fell ill a couple of years back, and we've missed having her participate in our Sunday night chat group, usually bugging us to play more Michigan-bred rock 'n' roll. Losing her now is not a surprise. We mourn nonetheless.
I wouldn't say that Dom was necessarily a big KISS fan. Maybe you'd figure this fire-breathin' NYC combo's "Detroit Rock City" mighta been a pick hit for a woman proud to bill herself as Midwest Guest. But I do know that Dom liked "Calling Dr. Love." She sent us a virtual thumbs-up every time we played it.
"Calling Dr. Love" 's appearance on this week's playlist is a coincidence. But we dedicate it after the fact to our friend Dominique King. And will open our next show with a deliberate three-song salute to Dom. Godspeed, Midwest Guest. Farewell, my friend.
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Carl's book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is 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.
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