Tuesday, April 30, 2024

GABBA GABBA HEY! A Requiem One Year Later


Next week marks one year since the publication of my book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones. The book's official street date from publisher Rare Bird Books was May 9th or thereabouts, though preorders were already in the hands of the discerning few by late April.

May of 2023 was just a magic experience for me. My first book published! An appearance on a local TV talk show! A live-music book release party at my favorite Syracuse nightspot The 443 Social Club And Lounge! An in-store at my favorite local bookseller Parthenon Books, followed by another in-store at a local Barnes and Noble. Initial buzz was encouraging, word of mouth seemed positive, and it was a # 1 release on Amazon (admittedly in some waaaay too-limited niche category, like "# 1 Best-Selling Book About The Ramones By A Central New York Blogger Who Is A Capricorn"). But it was exciting, and I was all in.

As we now know, however, the book underperformed at retail, posting a loss rather than a profit. In my charmingly D-U-M-B naivete, I didn't see that coming.

So: What went wrong?

First off, please forgive my hubris as I insist the book itself is not to blame. I will accept responsibility for the book's failure in the marketplace, but I don't concede any flaw in the published work. For well or ill, Gabba Gabba Hey! is as good as I was capable of executing, and I have zero regrets about how it turned out, a credit to my efforts and to Rare Bird Books for crafting a spiffy-lookin' product. I'm not going to feign modesty here; this is a good book, I remain very proud of it, and I fully believe it's a worthy thing of interest to a larger audience of Ramones fans.

I just couldn't reach that audience.

That's on me, at least in large part. Much of it can be chalked up to the inexperience of a first-time book author. I was able to do a decent job of hawking the book here in Syracuse, but I fell far, far short of goals on the national (and international) level. Rare Bird got the physical product in stores. A few of my friends have tried to pin the book's fortunes (or lack thereof) on Rare Bird, but it's not really Rare Bird's fault. Hell, Amy Rigby sent me a photo of Gabba Gabba Hey! on display at London's Rough Trade, so the damned thing was indeed out there in the wild.

I was unable to capitalize on that.

There were no reviews in magazines. Seeking more exposure, I reached out to a few people, including some in the Ramones camp, but I couldn't secure any endorsements. An outlet that had contacted me about a podcast appearance wound up ghosting me instead. Thanks to a few friends, there was a smattering of notice from a few online resources, including Remember The LightningPower Pop News, The Spoon podcast, Syracuse's TK99, Goodreads, Pop Geek Heaven, Matthew Street, and Kool Kat Musik

It wasn't enough. And I dropped the ball by not trying to get traction with, say, Rolling Stone, Mojo, Record Collector, Shindig!, The Big Takeover, The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Sirius XM, and...well, everybody. I accept the responsibility, and I'm coming to terms with the disappointment.

And I hope the lessons learned will help me do better next time. I have three more books on the way, beginning with the long-threatened, already-completed The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). The low sales of Gabba Gabba Hey! mean Rare Bird is not interested in publishing GREM!; I have extended a feeler to another publisher, but I'm pretty certain that I will be doing this myself. I've begun planning for Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES, and I've just started to pull at the threads of another intriguing book project working with [REDACTED], but I can't tell you about [REDACTED] until [REDACTED] says I can tell you about [REDACTED]. That is [REDACTED]'s right.

Commercial failure notwithstanding, I look back with pride and gratitude at the giddy experience of my first book, a nifty li'l thing about the greatest American rock 'n' roll group of all time. Rare Bird still has copies of my book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones, so I'll paraphrase some British group: I see some red ink and I want to paint it black. Go! Sedate your rock book library awready!

In times of adversity, I always ask myself, What would the Ramones do? Man, the inevitable, unerringly correct answer is: 

1-2-3-4! 

Get on with it. Hard and fast and catchy. Hey-Ho! Hey-Ho! Hey-Ho!

Let's go.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar

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.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

Monday, April 29, 2024

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1231

April gathers her belongings and looks around the room one last time. As she prepares to leave, she is tempted to flash a middle finger at the room. The urge passes. The regrets will pass. They'll linger for a little bit, sure. That's the nature of regret. But the regrets will pass when they're ready to pass.

April sighs. Before the regrets, there had been such promise. Dreams. Hope. The magic of love and art and music. And then...disappointments. Disagreements. Bad luck. Bad faith. Bad decisions. Moments of light compromised by unwelcome shade. Promise gave way to...you know.

April pauses. She glances outside her window. Rain. Of course. She has an umbrella, but...rain, damn it! She shivers. She turns out the light and moves toward the door.

April stops. And April muses. Showers bring flowers.

April wonders: Does the sun really shine someplace else? The sun eventually peeks through clouds, even here, in this home where goals fell short and regret won the day. 

For now.

April sets down her things. She switches the light back on. The glare is unforgiving at first. Her eyes adjust. Her will adjusts as well.

She will give it another month. April will become May, and then June if she is able. A rose by any name, what can bloom will bloom, what can shine will shine, for whatever time it has. She will seek that bloom, the warmth of that shine. With regret at her heels, April...May...will keep trying anyway.

And so will we.

This is what rock 'n' roll 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, streaming at SPARK stream, and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are 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
Volume 5: CD or download

HEY! Looking for something to read? Check out Carl's 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 # 1231: 4/28/2024
TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Tracks we think we ain't played before are listed in bold.

DAVE WOODARD: I Used To Be Cool [2024] (Kool Kat Musik, Get It Good)
THE MANIACS: Now I Know (Arf! Arf!, VA: Yeah Yeah Yeah)
THE ARMOIRES: We Absolutely Mean It (Big Stir, single)
THE BEVIS FROND: Heat (Fire, Focus On Nature)
DONNA SUMMER: Hot Stuff (Casablanca, Summer: The Original Hits)
LITTLE BITS: Girl, Give Me Love (Arf! Arf!, VA: Yeah Yeah Yeah)
--
AMY RIGBY: Dylan In Dubuque (Tapete, single)
THE FLAMES: I Can't Help Myself (Fresh Music, Ummm! Ummm! Oh Yeah!!!/That's Enough)
THE FOUR TOPS: Standing In The Shadows Of Love (Motown, The Ultimate Collection)
ANTON BARBEAU: Waiting On The Radio (n/a, Morgenmusik/Nachtschlager)
THE VINTAGE YELL: She Loves You (Mesquite St, Set 1)
THE POSIES: I'm Looking Through You (MOJO, VA: Beatlemania Vol. 1)
--
ORBIS MAX WITH LINDSAY MURRAY: Fields (single)
THE SATELLITERS: Go Away (Dionysus, Hashish)
POP CO-OP: Misfits (single)
THE CLICK BEETLES: If Not Now Then When (Futureman, Pop Fossil)
OSCAR TONEY JR: Ain't That True Love (Westside, Oscar's Winners)
--
LYNDA MANDOLYN: Billet Doux (single)
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: American Girl (MCA, Anthology: Through The Years)
TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS: Pressure Drop (Island, Time Tough)
THE SMITHEREENS: Don't Look Down (Sunset Blvd, The Lost Album)
THE CHEETAHS: Radio-Active (Cherry Red, VA: Revolt Into Style 1979)
--
THE CHRISVANDELAY PROJECT: Better Than Before (single)
TELEVISION: See No Evil (Elektra, Marquee Moon)
THE LOLLIPOP SHOPPE: You Must Be A Witch (Rhino, VA: Nuggets)
KURSAAL FLYERS: Television Generation (Rhino, VA: DIY: Teenage Kicks)
MONOGROOVE: I Think Of You (n/a, The Flip Side)
ALLAH LAS: Better Than Mine (Innovative Leisure, Worship The Sun)
--
THE SELECTER: On My Radio (EMI, Greatest Hits)
ALTERED IMAGES: I Could Be Happy (Hip-O, VA: New Wave: Gold)
LYRES: You Won't Be Sad Anymore (Matador, Lyres Lyres)
AMOEBA TEEN: Just Not That Into You (Big Stir, Amoeba Teen)
THE HALF CUBES: The Girl (Big Stir, single)
THE APPLES IN STEREO: That's Something I Do (spinART, Velocity Of Sound)
--
The Greatest Record Ever Made!
THE MONKEES: The Door Into Summer (Rhino, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.)
ARROGANCE: Praying Mantis (Gaff Music, The 5' 11" Album)
THE FLASHCUBES: Make Something Happen (Northside, Flashcubes Forever)
ASTROPUPPEES: On My Way (Manatee, Sugar Beat)
WONDERBOY: Girl Songs (n/a, Hero Isle)
KELLEY RYAN: The Church Of Laundry (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 5
--
ROXANNE FONTANA: Daydream In The Dark Night (single)
WALTER LURE AND THE RAMONES: Street Fighting Man (Jungle, JOHNNY THUNDERS AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: Down To Kill)
THE CYNZ: Just A Boy (Jem, Little Miss Lost)
GAME THEORY: Never Mind (Omnivore, The Big Shot Chronicles)
DEAN LANDEW: Job (single)
THE PRIMITIVES: Thru The Flowers (RCA, Lovely)
--
PAUL COLLINS: In Another World (Jem, Stand Back And Take A Good Look)
THE BABLERS: Thinking Of You (Big Stir, single)
THE RAMONES: Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue (Rhino, Ramones)
MIKE BROWNING: Just One Day (single)
THE BEACH BOYS: Girl Don't Tell Me (Capitol, Today!/Summer Days [And Summer Nights!!])
KISS: Shout It Out Loud (Mercury, Destroyer)
THE BEATLES: I Should Have Known Better (Apple, A Hard Day's Night)
--
THE KINKS: Till The End Of The Day (Sanctuary, The Anthology 1964-1971)

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Tonight On THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO


Well! Let's see what we have in store for you on this week's big broadcast. Oooo! New music from AMY RIGBY, DAVE WOODARD, THE BEVIS FROND, ORBIS MAX WITH LINDSAY MURRAY, LYNDA MANDOLIN, THE CHRISVANDELAY PROJECT, and ROXANNE FONTANA, stuff we ain't played before by THE SMITHEREENS, ALLAH LAS, THE CHEETAHS, THE FLAMES, THE VINTAGE YELL, ANTON BARBEAU, THE MANIACS, LITTLE BITS, and THE SATELLITERS, all fortified with pride and distinction by the esteemed likes of THE FOUR TOPS, THE RAMONES, THE ARMOIRES, THE JAM, THE CYNZ, THE CLICK BEETLES, THE FLASHCUBES, THE HALF CUBES, MONOGROOVE, TELEVISION, DONNA SUMMER, PAUL COLLINS, AMOEBA TEEN, GAME THEORY, WONDERBOY, THE BEATLES, THE KINKS, THE BEACH BOYS, KISS, THE BABLERS, THE BANGLES, TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS, and more. SO much more! You should maybe oughta join us: Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, on the web at https://sparksyracuse.org/, streaming on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. The weekend stops HERE!

Saturday, April 27, 2024

VIRTUAL TICKET STUB GALLERY: THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

Rather than complain again about who's in and who's not in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame--other than noting once again #inductthemonkees, and add Chubby Checker ferchristsake--here's a list of RnRHoF acts I've seen in live performance.

Some of these should carry an asterisk, I guess. I didn't actually see Blondie, at least not under that billing, but I did see Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, and if I'm counting the Clash without Mick Jones I say it's fair to call Debbie 'n' Chris Blondie. I've never seen a full Ringo Starr show, but I did attend Ringo's press conference in Rama, Ontario in 2003, and Ringo and his All-Starr Band played brief live teases of various songs at that presser.

And the Shirelles? I saw a vocal group claiming to be the Shirelles play in a shopping-mall parking lot in the '80s. Coulda been fakes, but also could have been legit.


THE ANIMALS
THE BEACH BOYS
BLONDIE [Debbie Harry and Chris Stein]
DAVID BOWIE
RAY CHARLES
CHEAP TRICK
CHICAGO
THE CLASH
ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS
THE CRICKETS
BO DIDDLEY
BOB DYLAN
EARTH, WIND AND FIRE
THE EVERLY BROTHERS
THE FOUR TOPS
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS
BILLY JOEL
CAROLE KING
THE KINKS
KISS
GLADYS KNIGHT
PAUL McCARTNEY
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS
GENE PITNEY
THE PRETENDERS
PRINCE
THE RAMONES
THE RASCALS
THE ROLLING STONES
SANTANA
PETE SEEGER
THE SHIRELLES
RINGO STARR
TALKING HEADS
TINA TURNER
THE VENTURES

ALMOSTS! [Hall of Fame acts I would have seen if things had played out a little bit differently than stupid real life]:

ALICE COOPER
JAMES BROWN
FOREIGNER
HEART
RICK NELSON
LOU REED
SMOKEY ROBINSON

And a few notable acts I did see that OUGHTA be inducted awready:

BADFINGER 
THE BANGLES
CHUBBY CHECKER
TOMMY JAMES
THE MONKEES
PETER, PAUL AND MARY
IGGY POP
THE REPLACEMENTS
PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS
THE RUNAWAYS
THE SHANGRI-LAS
THE TURTLES

A few more should-be-inducted worthies for whom I saw shows by individual members but not the whole group:

MOTT THE HOOPLE
THE NEW YORK DOLLS

Plus RICK JAMES, who I never had a chance to see perform, but spotted a couple of times out in public when I lived in Buffalo in the '80s. Only worth mentioning here because, y'know:

WHY ISN'T RICK JAMES IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME...?!

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar

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.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

Friday, April 26, 2024

10 SONGS: 4/26/2024

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 # 1230. This show is available as a podcast.

THE FLASHCUBES: Make Something Happen

"Make something happen?" Okeydokey! I'm in the very early stages of writing a new book about Power Pop Hall of Famers the Flashcubes. The book's working (and probable official) title is Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES, and the project was initiated by the Flashcubes themselves. Well, I'M in! 

And when I say "early stages," I mean it, man. I've had a couple of planning meetings with members of the 'Cubes, and I've begun trying to find and learn appropriate tech to record and transcribe interviews. My next task is to write a one-sheet on the book's behalf, and then to start talking to the Flashcubes and their entourage. It's all very exciting, and we hope to bring the book to retail by the Summer of 2025. From the book's first public announcement last week:

"This will be an oral history of the band, with personal stories related by the 'Cubes themselves--Tommy Allen, Paul Armstrong, Gary Frenay, and Arty Lenin--discussing their roots as rockin' pop fans in the '60s and '70s, their formation in the punk rock crucible of 1977, their frenzied live shows with the Ramones, the Runaways, the Police, the Jam, David Johansen, Joe Jackson, the Scruffs, the Romantics, Artful Dodger, 999, and more, their irresistible original songs, their indie 45s, their demo tapes, their breakup at the end of the '70s, and the subsequent recognition that the Flashcubes were a legit power pop legend. This growing awareness and celebration reunited the Flashcubes in the '90s, culminating in their award-winning 2023 album Pop Masters.

"In Make Something Happen!, the Flashcubes story will also be told by eyewitnesses: Fans, fellow musicians, industry insiders, and maybe the occasional drunken pogo dancer yelling out GOT NO MIND!, or swooning to 'Christi Girl,' vowing to wait till next week, it'll be all right. This is the first-hand story of Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse, a band that thrived under bright lights of their own invention."

More details to come. Oh, rest assured there will be more details to come. As I've written elsewhere: I think everyone knows that I'm possibly the world's most insistent Flashcubes fan. The Flashcubes are my favorite power pop band, they rank with the Beatles and the Ramones in the troika of my top rock 'n' roll groups, and I've long wished they enjoyed the sort of mass notoriety and adulation I think they deserve. "Make Something Happen" was first recorded by Gary Frenay's post-Flashcubes band Screen Test in the '80s, then recorded again by the reunited 'Cubes for their 2003 album Brilliant. It's a hit record, no matter how few the number of people who've heard it.

And it makes a dandy title for a book about the Flashcubes. We played it this week, and we're playing it again on our next show. 

Make something happen.

Good advice.

THE ARMOIRES: We Absolutely Mean It

Another song that Gary Frenay wrote and recorded with Screen Test was called "I Am Sincere." And while that song has nothing to do with the Armoires' new single "We Absolutely Mean It," I dig the shared lyrical celebration of authenticity. Sincerity has great intrinsic value. Its value is embodied in the work of the Armoires.

That's not just true of the band's music. It's a defining quality of Armoires mainstays Rex Broome and Christina Bulbenko, who are also the proprietors, CEOs, primary enforcers, benevolent despots, intimidating muscle, and photogenic poster kids for the mighty Big Stir Records label. Other than the annual edition of Dana's Funky Soul Pit and the occasional special program, a TIRnRR playlist without at least one Big Stir track is rarer'n rare. We like Big Stir. We like Rex and Christina. And, obviously, we like the Armoires. 

And also obviously: We absolutely mean it. 

THE CYNZ: Just A Boy

I think I've settled on my designated Pick T' Click from Little Miss Lost, the superswell new album from the Cynz. We've been playing a number of its individual treats, and this is our third consecutive playlist to spin the album's treat-of-treats "Just A Boy." It's a hit! And it will rack up TIRnRR airplay for its fourth week in a row this coming Sunday night. 

SHADOWY MEN ON A SHADOWY PLANET: Tired Of Waking Up Tired

Too good for words. And I don't even mean that as a reference to the fact that it's an instrumental. I've always loved the Diodes' 1979 power pop classic "Tired Of Waking Up Tired." Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet re-worked the song into a surf instrumental, and--much like the Nutley Brass' transcendent easy-listening cover of the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated"--the resulting triumph illustrates how a great song can be adapted into different styles and still retain its essential mojo. I will not be tiring of this any time soon.

THE FOUR TOPS: Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)

In building a better playlist, there is no such thing as a song-to-song segue so obvious we wouldn't deign to do it anyway. Case in point: Dana played Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet's "Tired Of Waking Up Tired," and I turned immediately to "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)" by Motown's phenomenal pop combo the Four Tops. It's not rocket surgery, folks--IT'S POP MUSIC! Sometimes the obvious thing is the right thing. We'll return to this subject of playlist building in just a moment. 

But first, this word:

THE BARBARIANS: Take It Or Leave It

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE GRIP WEEDS: Lady Friend [vocals only mix]
STEVE STOECKEL: Mod Girl [a cappella]
MR. ENCRYPTO: The Last Time [a cappella--expanded mix]


Playlist building in action. Both of your intrepid TIRnRR co-hosts are big fans of the Grip Weeds, and both of us adore the Grip Weeds' cover of the Byrds' "Lady Friend." That track was on the Grip Weeds' exquisite all-covers album DiG, and we split its airplay between the album version and a vocals-only mix found on the companion album A Deeper DiG.

So! This week, Dana played the Grip Weeds' vocals-only "Lady Friend." I felt delightedly compelled to follow with the a cappella mix of Steve Stoeckel's "Mod Girl." The full track appeared on Steve's album The Power Of And, but the vocals-only mix is officially unreleased. And it's freakin' awesome, showcasing simply incredible backing-vocal interplay courtesy of Jamie Hoover and Elena Rogers. This cries out for legit issue.

Finally, Dana completed our little no-instruments-allowed hat trick with one of the defining tracks of TIRnRR's long and storied history: The a cappella mix of Mr. Encrypto's "The Last Time." Go'geous! Go'geous and a HALF!  

And that's how one builds the superior playlist. Something great triggers another something great. Instrumental, a cappella, full-band, what-have-you. We know what fits, and when. This is rock 'n' roll radio.

ELENA ROGERS: Queen


Oooo, speaking of Elena Rogers: YEAH!!!!!! My gosh, she's good. We're giving her next week off. She'll be back, and she'll be back soon.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar

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.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

Thursday, April 25, 2024

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! The Door Into Summer

Today's entry includes material from previous posts. This is not part of my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), which will include a chapter about a different Monkees track instead.

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 MONKEES: The Door Into Summer
Written by Chip Douglas and Bill Martin
Produced by Chip Douglas
From the album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd., Colgems, 1967

That sobering sense of days cascading away from us. The Monkees understood.

The Monkees were one of the most underrated groups in pop history. To this day, their merit is still too often dismissed or questioned on the basis of their orchestrated origin. Yes, they were created to serve as the cast of a TV sitcom. Yes, they well transcended their manufactured image. Many of the Monkees' records were very good, and many were brilliant. "The Door Into Summer" is among their best efforts.

In the mid '70s, when I was starting to realize that there were more Monkees songs out there than the mere handful contained on my brother's copies of The Monkees and More Of The Monkees, one of the mystery tracks that specifically tantalized me was this beguiling wisp and its lyrics about echoes of a penny-whistle band and laughter from a distant caravan, seen and heard on reruns of the group's TV show. In 1977, I discovered it was called "The Door Into Summer," from a fabulous 1967 album called Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. Pisces remains one of my all-time Top 10 albums.

The smooth vocal blend of Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith is a rare treat to be savored. "The Door Into Summer" provides perhaps the best example of this, with Nesmith's earnest lead blanketed by the warmth of Dolenz's harmony, a beautiful combination softening the blow of a devastating study in white-collar futility: With his travelogue of "Maybe next year" places/As a trade-in for a name upon the door/And he pays for it in years he cannot buy back with his tears/When he finds out there's been no one keeping score. 

Pathos, with an implied sympathy even for those who squandered every chance they had along the way.

The Monkees' own time perched at the top of the pops proved to be all too brief. Sometimes the laughter from that caravan feels ever more distant. Fool's gold stacked up all around us. A distant sound either calling to us...or mocking us.

But we're okay, right? We acknowledge and move on, at least to the best of our capability. The music of the Monkees has always been a source of comfort, a source of satisfaction. Even their saddest songs can make me happy.

Happy is good. We can use more happy. And the legacy of the Monkees endures.

And so: Let's raise our glasses, and raise our fists. We'll fade through the damned door when we're good and ready. 

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar

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.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl