10 SONGS: 7/3/2024 [THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!, Part 1]

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 will really be 40 Songs, presented in four parts. The selections draw from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1240, presenting a few of the tracks featured in my new book THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (VOLUME 1).

We played 48 tracks on this week's show; for ten of those, I read on-air excerpts from the book's chapter about that track. This four-part collection of 10 Songs columns will offer snippets on behalf of the other 38 tracks, with two bonus tracks at the end.

BADFINGER: Baby Blue

..."Baby Blue" is the embodiment of why I fell in love with the radio in the first place. It’s an enduring testimony to why I still love radio's potential, in spite of all efforts to make me give up on that love. Radio gave me Badfinger. I can never repay that debt....

CHUCK BERRY: Promised Land

...Chuck Berry knew well the travails of the downtrodden. Dark skin, humble origin, and destined to transcend everything to become one of the most significant performers in the history of rock 'n' roll. His mind was quick, his fingers precise, wedding intricate, unforgettable wordplay to a guitar he played like a-ringin' a bell. He struggled. He pushed. He got noticed. He got pushed back. He kept pushing back in turn, smiling and duck-walking, while seething behind his flamboyant mask. A nice man? Possibly not, but beside the point. An important man? If you've ever loved rock 'n' roll, you should be ashamed to even ask that question...

...Into this tinderbox, Chuck Berry brought an electric match: Black music that made white kids dance. He wrote in code—most famously, the irresistibly potent brown-skinned handsome man who became (wink) a brown-eyed handsome man—but he crafted and chronicled the American teen-age dream with greater eloquence than anyone else, black or white....

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: I Only Want To Be With You

...Writer Greg Shaw noted that Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want to Be With You" explodes with as much pure pop noise as any Dave Clark Five record. The horns propel, the strings soar, the girl-group spirit celebrates, the music leans forward. Miss Dusty Springfield presides over all of it, dancing by herself at the microphone, singing sweetly of her love, her happiness, her contented fulfillment in the arms of her chosen one. Her only wish, only ambition, is to be with the object of her desire. We hope it can really be as simple as that....

ELVIS PRESLEY: Heartbreak Hotel

The entire world was about to change in an instant. No one knew what was about to happen. If they say they did, they're lyin'.

Unless, maybe, "they" happened to be Sam Phillips....

BIG MAMA THORNTON: Hound Dog

...Where and when did rock 'n' roll start? There are a few key artifacts to consider in seeking to ID the first rock 'n' roll record. "Rocket ‘88’" by Jackie Brentson and his Delta Cats (1951, and really Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm) is the closest we have to a consensus choice. Some would point to "The Fat Man" by Fats Domino (1950). I would at least add Amos Milburn's "Down the Road Apiece" (1947) to the discussion, and no less an authority than Lenny and Squiggy (on TV's Laverne and Shirley) spoke on behalf of "Call the Police," a 1941 single Nat King Cole made with the King Cole Trio. There are other progenitors and trailblazers from across the heady mingling of jump blues, R & B, country, and swing that birthed this bastard child we call rock 'n' roll. What was the daddy of them all? Not even a blood test is going to make that determination.

"Hound Dog" is not the first rock 'n' roll record. But its original release does predate the Rock 'n' Roll Era. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller specifically for rhythm and blues singer Big Mama Thornton. Thornton's "Hound Dog" single topped the R & B chart in 1953. Fittingly, her performance of the song is as much a growl as it is anything else, a snarling dismissal of a worthless cur who can wag his tail, but she ain't gonna feed him no more...

PATTI SMITH: Gloria

Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine.

That may be the greatest opening line in rock 'n' roll's long and thumping history. It's iconoclastic. It's rebellious. It swaggers, it shrugs, and it seethes with the promise of desire, the pursuit of quick-fix happiness. It's a precise moment of rules breaking beyond meaningful repair. It's a confession. It's a sacrament. It's sacrilege. And it's all in service of a freakin' cover song.

Patti Smith's "Gloria" is a medley, grafting her own rant "In Excelsis Deo" onto Van Morrison's surly juggernaut "Gloria." Morrison's group Them recorded the original “Gloria” as a British B-side (to "Baby, Please Don't Go") in 1964. In the US, radio programmers objected to the lines And she comes to my room/Yeah, she makes me feel all right, deeming the song too salacious for airplay. A 1966 cover by the Shadows of Knight excised the offending line and hit the Top 10. And American youth was safe.

One wonders what 1960s moralists would have said about Patti Smith's "Gloria" if they could have heard it a decade before it even existed.

Probably nothing. Hearing it would have struck them mute....

LITTLE RICHARD: The Girl Can't Help It

Stranded in this conformist world of the 1950s, Little Richard was the Georgia Peach, a wild and effeminate black man, flamboyant, a strange visitor from another planet with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. His performances were electrifying, pounding, an irresistible symphony of WOOOOO! A-wop-bopa-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom. In the late fifties, only Jerry Lee Lewis could match the sheer fervor of Little Richard. Little Richard was as bright a star as this dull world had ever seen.

And he was certain that he was going to Hell....

NEIL DIAMOND: Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show

Faith is infectious. Its specifics can vary from believer to believer, even among those who share a covenant. 

Among his vast résumé of well-known pop compositions, Neil Diamond wrote both "I'm A Believer" and "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show." The former is a love song that casually employs elements of the celestial. The latter evokes Gospel without being Gospel, a not-quite-secular/not-quite-sacred first-person report of a man with a Bible in his hand, a sermon in his heart, and a tent full of believers primed for salvation on a hot August night....

THE RAMONES: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

Dangerous. Deplorable. Degenerate. The Ramones were supposed to be dirty, filthy punks, likely to slit your throat for spare change, or just for kicks. They were loud. They were sloppy. They were beneath contempt.

And they were one of the greatest pop bands in the world.

That seeming incongruity has never quite resolved itself. In certain circles, one risks immediate scorn for the sin of considering the Ramones a power pop band. But it was never a sin.

It was a revelation....

ARTHUR CONLEY: Sweet Soul Music

...Do you like good music? You've come to the right place. Oh yeah!

TOMORROW: PART 2!

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My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available for order; you can see details here. My 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is also still available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. 

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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This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1240: THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (VOLUME 1): 6/30/2024

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) has been in the works for years. Its roots stretch back even before 2019 (when I first announced my intent to write the book), before 2016 (when I posted my first GREM! essay on my blog), and before 2011 or so, when I repeated a familiar mantra from this radio show, a mantra which eventually evolved into this book's premise:

An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns.

This week's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl celebrates the result of my long-threatened book's long and winding path to publication. The playlist collects a mere 48 of the 145 tracks discussed in my GREM! book, with minimal interruption. The interruptions, in fact, are readings of brief snippets from the book itself. So yeah, this one's all GREM! all the time.

Apologies to Crazy Elephant, Wilson Pickett, the Hollies, Melanie with the Edwin Hawkins Singers, Petula Clark, Arthur Alexander, Translator, Lesley Gore, the Shangri-Las, the Shirelles, Pink Floyd, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Bobby Fuller Four, Merle Haggard, the Temptations, Buddy Holly, Roberta Flack, Johnny Nash, the Rare Breed, the Rolling Stones, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Bob Dylan, the Kingsmen, Baron Daemon and the Vampires, the Marvelettes, the Who, Todd Rundgren, Shoes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Ike and Tina Turner, the Ronettes, the Knickerbockers, the Wonders, the Dave Clark Five, James Brown, Grand Funk, the First Class, the Isley Brothers, Rick James, the Pandoras, Marvin Gaye, Linda Ronstadt, P. P. Arnold, Sammy Ambrose, Big Star, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, the New Pornographers, Yoko Ono, Donna Summer, Rufus, Heart, the Breakaways, the Easybeats, the Byrds, the 5th Dimension, the Jackson Five, Sly and the Family Stone, the Bangles, Headgirl, Millie Small, the Flirtations, the Spinners, the Partridge Family, Suzi Quatro, David Ruffin, Led Zeppelin, Freddie and the Dreamers, the Bandwagon, Don Henley, Ben E. King, Grandmaster and Melle Mel, the Velvet Underground, Del Shannon, the Cocktail Slippers, Sam and Dave, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, the Four Tops, Verdelle Smith, the Bob Seger System, Jive Five, Freda Payne, the Contours, the Go-Go's, the Supremes, the Beach Boys, Raspberries, the Selecter, Tracey Ullman, the Drifters, the Coasters, Cheap Trick, Tegan and Sara, David Bowie, the O'Jays, and the T-Bones...

...you're ALL in the book, along with two more by the Beatles, and each on equal footing with the artists and tracks we did manage to squeeze into this week's overstuffed playlist, and with an infinite number of other worthy tracks I might get around to discussing if I ever follow through with GREM! Volume 2.

Details on The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) and how to order it can be found here. And in that GREM! vein: This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

Isn't it the greatest?

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). 

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HEY! Looking for something to read? Check out Carl's books Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones and the brand-new The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). 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 # 1240: 6/30/2024: Selections from THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (VOLUME 1)

THE RAMONES: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (Rhino, End Of The Century)

GREM!: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?

BADFINGER: Baby Blue (Apple, Straight Up)

CHUCK BERRY: Promised Land (MCA, The Anthology)

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: I Only Want To Be With You (Mercury, The Very Best Of Dusty Springfield)

GREM!: Noise

THE SEX PISTOLS: God Save The Queen (Virgin, Kiss This)

ELVIS PRESLEY: Heartbreak Hotel (RCA, The Top Ten Hits)

BIG MAMA THORNTON: Hound Dog (Time-Life, VA: The Rock 'n' Roll Era Roots Of Rock: 1945-1956)

PATTI SMITH: Gloria (Arista, Land [1975-2002])

LITTLE RICHARD: The Girl Can't Help It (Specialty, The Georgia Peach)

NEIL DIAMOND: Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show (Columbia, VA: Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood OST)

THE RAMONES: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (Rhino, Rocket To Russia)

GREM!: Does Amy Rigby dream about the Ramones?

AMY RIGBY: Dancing With Joey Ramone (Signature Sounds, Little Fugitive)

ARTHUR CONLEY: Sweet Soul Music (Rhino, Sweet Soul Music)

OTIS REDDING: (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay (Rhino, Otis!)

ARETHA FRANKLIN: Respect (Atlantic, The Atlantic Singles Collection 1967-1970)

THE MONKEES: Porpoise Song (Theme From Head) (Rhino, Head)

PRINCE: When You Were Mine (Warner Brothers, The Hits/The B-Sides)

GREM!: We are the weird

THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS: You're Gonna Miss Me (Rhino, VA: Nuggets)

THE FLASHCUBES: No Promise (Northside, Brilliant)

TELEVISION: Elevation (Elektra, Marquee Moon)

THE RUNAWAYS: Cherry Bomb (Hip-O Select, The Mercury Albums Anthology)

GREM!: Springsteen's paperback novels

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Girls In Their Summer Clothes (Columbia, Magic)

KISS: Shout It Out Loud (Mercury, Destroyer)

THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Rock 'n' Roll Love Letter (Arista, The Definitive Collection)

THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS: Time Has Come Today (Columbia, The Time Has Come)

BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY: Piece Of My Heart (Columbia, Cheap Thrills)

THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Shake Some Action (Grown Up Wrong!, Between The Lines)

THE CARPENTERS: Only Yesterday (A & M, The Singles 1969-1981)

GREM!: July 1st, 1979

MATERIAL ISSUE: Kim The Waitress (Mercury, Freak City Soundtrack)

THE SPONGETONES: (My Girl) Maryanne (Loaded Goat, Always Carry On)

THE TRAAMPS: Disco Inferno (Rhino, Rhino Hi-Five: The Tramps)

HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES: Don't Leave Me This Way (Epic, The Ultimate Blue Notes)

THE KINKS: Waterloo Sunset (Essential, Something Else)

HOLLY GOLIGHTLY: Time Will Tell (Damaged Goods, Truly She Is None Other)

GREM!: The beauty in their sadness

THE SMITHEREENS: Behind The Wall Of Sleep (Capitol, Blown To Smithereens)

THE COWSILLS: She Said To Me (Robin, Global)

LULU: To Sir, With Love [museum outings montage] (Retroactive, VA: To Sir, With Love OST)

THE GRATEFUL DEAD: Uncle John's Band (Rhino, The Very Best Of The Grateful Dead)

CAST OF WEST SIDE STORY: America (Columbia, VA: West Side Story OST)

EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS: Do Anything You Wanna Do (Captain Oi!, The Singles Collection)

GREM!: Be who you want to be, not whatever some gray THEY want you to be

JOAN JETT: Bad Reputation (Blackheart, Bad Reputation)

JOAN ARMATRADING: Me Myself I (A & M, Greatest Hits)

STEVIE WONDER: I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) (Tamla, Talking Book)

MARYKATE O'NEIL: I'm Ready For My Luck To Turn Around (n/a, 1-800-Bankrupt)

GREM!: Annus mirabilis

EYTAN MIRSKY: This Year's Gonna Be Our Year (M-Squared, Year Of The Mouse)

THE JAYHAWKS: I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Columbia, Smile)

GREM!: An infinite number

THE BEATLES: Rain (Apple, Past Masters)

--

NELSON RIDDLE: Batman Theme (Watchtower, VA: The Music Of DC Comics: Vol. 2)