10 SONGS: 8/31/2024

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 # 1248.

THE GREG KIHN BAND: Reunited

Our featured performer this week was, of course, the late, great Greg Kihn. I've often written about what I call my crucible year of 1977, a year of transition from high school into college, and a big year of transition in the music I loved. The transition really began in late '76, and bled well into '78, but you know how crucibles are; heat expands, and the heat of my crucible couldn't be contained within a single calendar year.

The acts, new and old, that I discovered and/or embraced in this short span of time redefined me. No, "redefined" ain't the right word. Refocused. Redirected? Renewed? Ah, got it: Refined. My preexisting love of '60s British Invasion and early '70s AM Top 40 radio didn't cede space for new arrivals; no, the floor plan for my passions just grew. I already loved the Beatles, the Monkees, Badfinger, the Raspberries, the Dave Clark Five, the Animals, Sweet, and more. My crucible forged fresh and ongoing awareness of the Kinks, the Ramones, the Flashcubes, Blondie, the Runaways, the Jam, the Yardbirds, Television, Elvis Costello, et al.

And at the heart of all of that, WOUR-FM in Utica, NY introduced my ears to the sounds of the Rubinoos, Nick Lowe, Graham Parker, the Sex Pistols...and to Greg Kihn.

I don't mention Greg Kihn as often as I mention most of these others, but he was absolutely an important and still-cherished part of my crucible, part of how I thought pop music should sound in my world.

So yes, of course the news of Kihn's passing demanded tribute, and we played as many Greg Kihn and Greg Kihn Band performances as we could. The show and the tribute started with the Greg Kihn Band's 1984 gem "Reunited," as This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio remembers Greg Kihn.

LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: Hello Operator

Any new music by Librarians With Hickeys is pret' much guaranteed a spin (or more!) on our little mutant radio show. Akron's Phenomenal Pop Combo is back with a fab new single, "Hello Operator," and yes, we will absolutely accept the charges. "Hello Operator" is a teaser for a new Librarians With Hickeys album due out before the end of the year. It's pret' much guaranteed we'll be playing that, too. The number you have reached IS in service!

THE ARMOIRES: Snake Island Thirteen

As the rockin' pop world waits with giddy anticipation for the imminent release of the Armoires' splendid new album Octoberland, we have one more advance single from that mighty, mighty record. The digital single was released on August 24--Ukrainian Independence Day--and it pairs the Octoberland track "Snake Island Thirteen" with "Don't Kill That World I'm Living In," the latter by Ukrainian performer Roy Crank. Sales of the split single Songs For Ukrainian Independence Day benefit humanitarian aid through United Help Ukraine. YOU should purchase it immediately, and you can do so right here. You can also donate directly to United Help Ukraine here.

(I have heard Octoberland, and it's one of the best albums of 2024. We'll be talking more about Octoberland very soon.)

GREG KIHN: Hurt So Bad

GREG KIHN: For You

The photo up at the tippy-top of today's post shows that I have a fair to decent collection of Greg Kihn's music. I have an obvious and very common pick for my # 1 favorite Greg Kihn track, and we'll get to that in a couple of entries south of here. My second-favorite among Kihn's catalog is "Hurt So Bad," a wonderful cut from his 1977 album Greg Kihn Again. Whatta record! I don't think I got around to hearing it until the '80s--and I can't believe we never played it on TIRnRR before this week's show--but "Hurts So Bad" has been one of my top Greg Kihn go-tos for decades. It would have required military action to keep "Hurt So Bad" out of the playlist this week.

The only Greg Kihn Again track I knew contemporary to its release in '77 was Kihn's cover of Bruce Springsteen's "For You," which scored significant airplay on WOUR and served as my introduction to Greg Kihn. As the Boss hisself wrote in a different song: From small things, Mama, big things one day come.

JONATHAN RICHMAN: Roadrunner

Within the alt-pop realm where Dana & Carl often dwell, Jonathan Richman's "Roadrunner" has become an acknowledged classic. Usually, that means a spin of the Modern Lovers' John Cale-produced version from 1972, but my first exposure to the song was ex-Modern Lover Richman's solo version, first released as a single in '74 and a UK hit when reissued in '77. 

On this version (now usually referred to as "Roadrunner [Once]"), our Jonathan is backed by the Greg Kihn Band, and Kihn sings back-up. And I heard it via its inclusion on a friggin' fantastic various-artists compilation called Geef Voor New Wave, a battered but bountiful cornucopia that slotted its "Roadrunner" alongside essentials by the Rubinoos, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Generation X, Motörhead, the Adverts, the Motors, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, X-Ray Spex, Earth Quake, Radio Stars, the Radiators From Space, Johnny Moped, and the Sex Pistols. Lemme tell ya: This was awesome. 

The Greg Kihn Band later recorded their own version of "Roadrunner," a live-in-the-studio rave-up on their 1979 album With The Naked Eye. Post-crucible, yes, but this particular "Roadrunner" enjoyed a lot of airplay on Syracuse's 95X, and it was an integral part of my soundtrack that summer. I had the radio ON...!

THE GREG KIHN BAND: The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS: Time Has Come Today

In the midst of our Irish wake for Greg Kihn, it seemed imperative to also pay tribute to the late Joe Chambers of psychedelic soul juggernaut the Chambers Brothers. The obvious song to play for that tribute is also the right song to play for that tribute: "Time Has Come Today," co-written by Joe and his brother Willie Chambers, is a stone masterpiece, and I was tempted to program its eleven-minute+ LP version instead of the five-minute single. The track rules at either length.

Here's a bit from the "Time Has Come Today" chapter in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

"My soul has been psychedelicized.

"Some records feels so massive, so friggin' huge, that we can't imagine how that sonic tsunami could be contained by any physical medium. The track's palpable mojo bursts free from its grooves, untethered, conjuring the equivalent of cinematic Sensurround within our eager heads. The record is larger than life. That description applies to the dynamic acid soul of 'Time Has Come Today' by the Chambers Brothers.

" 'Time Has Come Today' was released as a single the winter following the summer of love. It became a hit as 1967 became 1968, the track's epic lysergic earthquake serving as fiery prequel to the upheaval '68 would bring. The record is louder and heavier than the heavens, its clarion call of revelation and revolution only too fitting to hear from a group of four brothers (plus a non-brother drummer) raised on the Gospel.  

"For even as the world seemed poised to tumble into the Stygian depths, the Chambers Brothers do not preach of destruction, nor sing the praises of Hell. We already know that the devil has no music to call his own. Not even in 1968. Not even today.

"So the Chambers Brothers evoke the apocalyptic in service of greater good...."

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS: Be Straight

Our tribute to Greg Kihn included tracks credited to the Greg Kihn Band and to Kihn as a solo artist, a sample of Kihn's work with future guitar hero Joe Satriani, and the Jonathan Richman track. As a bonus, we also threw in "Be Straight" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, a track from the group's 1981 album I Love Rock 'n Roll. Jett co-wrote the song with Kihn and Kenny Laguna, Jett's manager. "Be Straight" is one of four tracks on I Love Rock 'n Roll that I like even more than I like the album's title track, and one of five such tracks if we also consider the originally non-LP "Oh Woe Is Me." And I do love the title track, too. I'm a fan.

As a member of the Runaways, Jett was also a big part of my crucible. This week, I saw Joan Jett and the Blackhearts for my fourth time overall (and Jett herself for my fifth time, counting the time I saw the Runaways with the Ramones and the Flashcubes). Her set this week didn't include "Be Straight," but it did offer all of her prerequisite Joan Jett favorites, some superb-soundin' new numbers, my top three tracks from the expanded I Love Rock 'n Roll album ("Victim Of Circumstance," "Oh Woe Is Me," and especially "Love Is Pain"), and the show concluded with her signature tune, "Bad Reputation," a song that means a great deal to me.

(PLUS! Joan wore a KAMALA HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT button throughout the show. Rock AND roll! I love it.)

THE GREG KIHN BAND: Testify

And we do indeed testify. Every day. The crucible will accept nothing less.

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

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available; 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.

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! The Greg Kihn Band, "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em")

 This is not part of my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).

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 GREG KIHN BAND: The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)

Written by Greg Kihn and Steve Wright

Produced by Matthew King Kaufman

Single, Beserkley Records, 1981

A love that should have lasted years...didn't.

Pop music is a recognized haven for bruised and broken hearts. Our cherished playlists, our holy mixtapes, our favorite radio station, and our beloved record store are stacked as high as a lonely elephant's eye with breakup songs. Songs of redemption? Sure, maybe. But certainly songs of regret, songs of recrimination, songs of denial, songs of anger and confusion, and the occasional song of reluctant acceptance. The breakup song. We feel its majesty and sorrow. And we acknowledge its sting with a tear-stained whisper:

They don't write 'em like that anymore.

Greg Kihn was a folk music fan who became a pop star. Kihn was into music from the earliest of ages. And as a Baltimore teen in the '60s, his love of Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, Eric Andersen, the Kingston Trio and other artists within the folk realm inspired Kihn to get a guitar, learn to play the guitar, learn to write songs, and to sing and play the songs he wrote. The Beatles added an electric influence, particularly with their Revolver album in 1966.

Kihn himself remained mostly unplugged. He lugged his acoustic guitar around the coffeehouses of Baltimore and Washington, DC, and traveled with friends to play in Europe. He eventually went West, young man, and in the early '70s found himself settled (to the extent that a troubadour settles) in the Bay Area in California. 

In California, Matthew King Kaufman became Kihn's manager. By 1975, Kaufman's frustration with trying to get his clients signed to major labels led him start his own indie label: Beserkley Records. Beserkley had Kihn, Jonathan Richman, Earth Quake, the Rubinoos, and the Tyla Gang, the stars of the Beserkley galaxy. The label billed itself as "Home Of The Hits!"

The irony of that billing may or may not have been intentional. Hits were not immediately forthcoming for Beserkley.

Meanwhile, when a Berkeley nightclub told solo singer-songwriter Kihn he could probably secure a weekly gig at the club if only he had a band playing with him, Kihn lied in reply, "Hey, I got a band, and we're really good!" Kihn quickly--in TWO AND A HALF WEEKS!--turned this fiction into fact, recruiting bassist Steve Wright and drummer Larry Lynch to form the Greg Kihn Band. They played on Kihn's eponymous debut album in 1975, and added lead guitarist Dave Carpender in time for 1977's Greg Kihn Again.

That year of '77 brought Beserkley its first taste of commercial success, with a British hit in Jonathan Richman's "Roadrunner" (with Kihn on backing vocals), the Rubinoos' almost Top 40 (# 45) cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now," and significant FM radio play for Kihn's cover of Bruce Springsteen's "For You." Beserkley's acts weren't punk in the sense that the Ramones and the Sex Pistols were punk, but the pop energy of the Beserkley acts appealed to punk fans like me, adding essential cachet and an aura of cool.

Jonathan Richman became legend. The Rubinoos became acclaimed underground pop heroes. 

The Greg Kihn Band had hits.

Not a lot of hits, granted: Three Billboard Top 40 singles, two Top 40 LPs. Their biggest smash pop 45 was "Jeopardy," a # 2 hit in 1983, an MTV fave rave that inspired a well-known "Weird Al" Yankovic parody version ("I Lost On Jeopardy"). "Jeopardy" was the Greg Kihn Band's commercial zenith; but their first hit--# 15 in 1981--will always be Greg Kihn's signature tune: "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)."

"The Breakup Song" is hypnotic, irresistible, employing a guitar riff reminiscent of "Elevation," a song from CBGB's stalwarts Television's landmark 1977 debut album Marquee Moon. The Greg Kihn Band take that (perhaps unconscious) influence and shine it up to a dazzling gloss, making it more immediately accessible, more overtly pop, more inherently capable of annexing radio and its eager listeners.

The music hooks us. The storyline nails us, a familiar tale of a relationship that ended just an hour before, the singer's alone-in-a-crowd emotions seeking succor in the comfort of music in a public place, his inner ache mocked, consoled, or both by a repetitious mantra of Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh.

When I interviewed Greg Kihn in 1995, he talked a bit about "The Breakup Song:"

"I think I'm proudest of that out of all the hits that we had," said Kihn. "That's still the definitive Greg Kihn Band song.

'"We wrote it really fast. You know, my theory of songwriting is if you don't write it in one sitting then it's not that good. All the great stuff was written all at once. And I think we wrote that in fifteen minutes, and did it in one or two takes. That's the way great records are made. It's gotta start with the magic. 

"That song came together in the studio. I didn't have the lyrics finished. I was just singing uh-uh's in between every other line to stretch out the lyrics that I had. And I was gonna go in there and apologize to everybody, and when it was over they were all going, 'Hey, those are the deepest lyrics you've ever written, man!' Kihn recalled laughing. "And they just popped into my head! What's the message there? You know, you sit up all night writing lyrics, and the next day you come in and you're just going 'Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh,' and that's the hook."

That's the way magic works. Even in mourning, even in regret, the magic of art, creation, and love reminds us of why we live in the first place.

Greg Kihn left us on August 13th of 2024, succumbing to complications from Alzheimer's Disease. He was 75. He gave us a simply sublime collection of beguiling pop recordings, from "Hurts So Bad" (my second-favorite Kihn song) to "Testify" to "Sorry" to "Reunited" to "Madison Avenue Man" to "Jeopardy" to "Happy Man" to...oh, please, just investigate the Kihn catalog. If you have a heart, you will find something to love among his works. I love a lot of it.

And I love one specific song even more than all of the others.

Tonight, the jukebox plays a song I used to know. Some say they don't write 'em like that anymore. I'm not sure that's true...but Greg Kihn and his bandmate Steve Wright did write this one, and its greatness endures. A strange feeling in the atmosphere. Tears will dry. A glass will raise. Here's to what was, and to what can remain.

Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh.

In memory at least.

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

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available; 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.

VIRTUAL TICKET STUB GALLERY [updated]: Oh, The Shows I've Seen

Yeah, it's only been a month since I posted the last update for this list, but what the heck. Yesterday I saw Joan Jett and the Blackhearts at the New York State Fair; it was the fourth time I've seen Jett perform (fifth time if we count seeing her with the Runaways), and she and her band o' Blackhearts were awesome as always. 

But I didn't expect to also catch Crystal Gayle's State Fair performance on the same day. Well...cool! And that's excuse enough for an update. 

Showtime!

My sporadic, ongoing series Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery recounts my memories related to specific live shows that I've seen. As a tangent to that series, this will be an attempt to make note of pop music acts that I've seen live, for good or bad, as many as I can remember.

1.4.5.
976-SING
999
The A*Teens
Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band

Ambrosia
American Idols
The Animals
Tim Anthony
The Antics
The Antoinettes
Artful Dodger

Atlas
The Baha Men
The Bangles
Don Barber and the Dukes
Len Barry
The Battered Wives
The Beach Boys
Beatlemania
Beauty Scene Outlaws
The Pete Best Band
The Bevis Frond

The Bobcats
Blotto
Andy Bopp
The Blushing Brides
David Bowie
Bowzer
The Brambles
The Brandos
Brass Inc.
Brownskin Band
The Buckinghams
Annie Burns and Rain
The Burns Sisters
Joe "King" Carrasco
Castle Creek
Felix Cavaliere
Ray Charles
Charlie
Cheap Trick

Chubby Checker and the Wildcats
The Chesterfield Kings
Chicago
Chicklet
Alex Chilton
The Clash
Classics IV
The Cliches
CNY Women In Music
Cockeyed Ghost
Cold Sweat
Paul Collins and John Wicks
Colorblind James and the White Caps
Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers
Gene Cornish
The James L. Cortland Band
Elvis Costello & the Attractions
The Cowsills
The Crickets
Culture Club

Baron Daemon
The Charlie Daniels Band
Paul Davie
Lonnie Day
The dB's
The Dead Ducks Band
The Delta Rays
Bo Diddley
Ani DiFranco
Digby
Distortion
Mark Dixon and the Goldman Theory Band
Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones
The Doyle/Whiting Band
Dread Zeppelin
Dress Code
Bob Dylan
Earth, Wind & Fire
The Easy Ramblers
Eclipse
John Eddie
Electric Broom
Dan Elliott and the Monterays
Jack Ely
ESP
The Everly Brothers [with Albert Lee]
Exile
The Fab Five
The Fabcats
The Fabulous Spectrelles
The Fallen Archies
The Fast
The Flashcubes
The Flashing Astonishers
The Fleshtones
The Forgotten Rebels
The Four Tops

Frank & Esce
Freaky Age
Gary Frenay
Frenay and Lenin
Frenay and the Rays
Dennis Friscia and His Oh-So-Sensitive Sidemen

Crystal Gayle
The Georgia Satellites
Goldie
The Goonies
Red Grammer
The Grass Roots
Green Jello
The Grip Weeds

Grit and Grace
Grupo Pagan
Israel Hagan
Hamell On Trial

Hard Promises
Harmonic Dirt
Jerry Harrison
Deborah Harry

Kenne Highland's Airforce
Herman's Hermits
John Hiatt
The Todd Hobin Band
Danny Holmes
Mark Hudson
Ian Hunter & Mick Ronson
The Insiders
Intergalactic Burnt Toast
Kate Jacobs
The Joe Jackson Band
Tommy James
Al Jardine
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
David Johansen
Davy Jones
Scott Kempner
The Kennedys
Tom Kenny and the Hi-Seas [with Andy Paley and the Damselles]
Tom Kenny and the Pushballs
The Greg Kihn Band
Carole King
Sean Kingston
The Kinks
KISS
Knickers In a Twist

Gladys Knight
Cub Koda
Billy J. Kramer
Lady Antebellum

Denny Laine
Letizia 
L'il Georgie and the Shuffling Hungarians
Little Big Town
Little Caesar
The Livin' Ennd with Sandy Bigtree
Living Colour
Let's Active
Mark Lindsay
LMNT
The Longwood Jazz Project
Mary Lou Lord
The Lords Of The New Church
Los Blancos
Buddy Love and the Tearjerkers
Lyle Lovett
The Lumens
The Lyres
Machine and Hummer
The Manfreds
Marilyn's Chamber
Adam Marsland and the Chaos Band
Masters Of Reality
Maura and the Bright Lights
Paul McCartney
The Mike McKay Band
Don McLean
Idina Menzel
The Miamis
The Mind's Eye
Moist
Joey Molland
Joey Molland's Badfinger
The Monkees
The Most
Mushroom
The Mystic Eyes
The Natives
Steve Neat and the Chances
The Necessaries [with Chris Spedding]
Chuck Negron
The Neverly Brothers
New Math
New Riders Of The Purple Sage
The New Times Banned
Willie Nile
Peter Noone
Jamie Notarthomas
Jon Notarthomas
NRBQ
The Nudes
The Ohms
Oz
Oz and Biz
Pale Green Stars
Paper Faces
The Party Dogs
Ray Paul
Pauline and the Perils

Perilous
The Joe Perry Project
Peter, Paul & Mary
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Phil and the Spectors
Regis Philbin
Gene Pitney
Play
Iggy Pop
The Pop Tarts
Porcelain Forehead
The Posies
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Preacher
The Presstones
The Pretenders
Prince and the Revolution
Process and the Doo Rags
Gary Puckett
The Ramones
The Rascals
The Records
Red Rockers
The Reducers
The Replacements
The Restless
Paul Revere and the Raiders
The Richards
The Riddlers
The Rigbys
Robbie Rist and Kenny Howes
Rockin' Bones
Joe Rogalia and the Swamp Boys
The Rolling Stones
The Romantics

The Rubinoos
The Runaways
The Saints

Santana
The Karen Savoca Band
The Searchers
Screaming Meemies
Screen Test
Pete Seeger
The Shadows [NY]
The Shangri-Las
Sheila E
Sheriff
Bobby Sherman
The Shirelles
The Skeletons
Slaughter
The Smithereens
Phil Solem

Spyro Gyra
Stone Cold Miracle
The Strangers
The Stray Cats
The Strawberry Zots
Stroke
Super Action C*** Modified
Switch
The Swordsmen
Terry Sylvester
Talking Heads
Tattered Hoyt
The Tearjerkers
Johnny Thunders
Tom Tom Club
The Peter Tork Project
The Toys [Syracuse]
The Tremblers
The Trend
Tina Turner
The Turtles
The Turtles [with Ron Dante]
The Urban Squirrels
The Unholy Wives
Uriah Heep
Utility Life

The Va Va Voodoos

Hilton Valentine
Velvet Elvis
The Ventures
Kyle Vincent
Violent Femmes
The Vipers
Chris von Sneidern
The Waitresses
The Wallmen
Wang Chung
The Weather Girls
Al Wilson
Brian Wilson
The Winters Brothers Band
"Weird" Al Yankovic
The Works
Zoid

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! Chatting with TK99's RICK DEYULIO

On Wednesday, it was my great pleasure to visit the TK99 studio in Syracuse for an appearance on TK99 Rocktalk Live With Rick Diyulio. Whatta blast! Rick welcomed me to Rocktalk Live last year when I was promoting my book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones, and this week he welcomed me again for a discussion of my new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).

In my various radio, TV, podcast, and blog appearances on behalf of both books, I have enjoyed the great fortune of being interviewed by people who know their stuff and remain passionate fans of the music itself. Knowledge plus enthusiasm equals COOL!, and that's certainly true of Rick Deyulio. My thanks again to my friend Lisa Walker for putting me in touch with Rick in the first place, and my thanks to Rick for sharing his forum and helping spread the Gospel of GREM!

My GREM! appearance on Rocktalk Live can be seen here via Facebook (even if you don't have Facebook), and you can also catch up on my 2023 Ramones book Rocktalk Live spot here. I tell ya, I need to write more books just so I can do this again. THIS, my friends, is fun.

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

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available; 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.

Fake THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO: I've Got My Records And They're All Imports

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio 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.

Apologies to John Hiatt, whose great song "Pink Bedroom" inspired the tag line for today's fake playlist: I've got my records and they're all imports. 

Yes, today's exercise in imaginary song sequencing is comprised solely of records I owned as imports. I'm arbitrarily limiting the list to foreign-issued 45s, EPs, LPs, and CDs I snagged some time before the dawn of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio at the end of 1998, I'm ignoring the likelihood that my copy of Paul McCartney's Choba B CCCP was a domestic bootleg rather than the Soviet import it claimed to be, and I'm throwing in one set of British and Canadian tracks that weren't technically imports because I, y'know, bought them in England or Canada. Technicalities! In any case, rock 'n' roll tariffs need not apply. It's time to go where a cherished import 45 by the Jam once told me we should go when we're looking for new:

All over the world!

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl--y'know, the real one--airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO). TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

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

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

Fake TIRnRR Playlist: I've Got My Records And They're All Imports

THE RAMONES: Rockaway Beach (Sire [UK], It's Alive)

THE SEX PISTOLS: I'm Not Your Stepping Stone (Virgin [UK], The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle)

CAT STEVENS: The First Cut Is The Deepest (Decca [UK], VA: Hard-Up Heroes)

CHRIS SPEDDING: Boogie City (RAK [UK], Chris Spedding)

THE RUNAWAYS: Rock N Roll (Mercury [Canada], Live In Japan)

THE KINKS: You Still Want Me (Pye [UK], Yesteryear Series EP)

--

THE MONKEES: Love To Love (Arista [Australia], Monkeemania)

THE ROLLING STONES: You Better Move On (Decca [UK], The Rolling Stones EP)

THE PLEASERS: Lies (Arista [UK], The Pleasers EP)

SUZI QUATRO: Tear Me Apart (RAK [Germany], Aggro-Phobia)

KISS: I'm A Legend Tonight (Casablanca [Germany], Killers)

THE ROLLERS: Doors, Bars, Metal (Epic [UK], Ricochet)

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THE BEATLES: Thank You, Girl (Parlophone, The Beatles' Hits EP)

JONATHAN RICHMAN: Roadrunner (Ariola, VA: Geef Voor New Wave)

THE ZONES: New Life (Arista [UK], VA: That Summer! OST)

NEW MATH: Angela (Reliable [UK], single)

GENERATION X: Your Generation (Chrysalis [UK], single)

THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Step Up (Aim [Australia], Step Up)

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JOAN JETT: I Love Rock And Roll (Vertigo [Netherlands], single)

ADVERTISING: Ich Liebe Dich (EMI [UK], Jingles)

RASPBERRIES: On The Beach (Zap! [UK], Overnight Sensation: The Very Best Of The Raspberries)

MARCUS HOOK ROLL BAND: Natural Man (Albert [Australia]. VA: Albert Archives)

THE RAMONES: Bonzo Goes To Bitburg (Beggars Banquet [UK], 12" single)

DOLENZ, JONES, BOYCE AND HART: I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight (Capitol [Japan], Concert In Japan)

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THE RUTLES: Number One (Warner Brothers [UK], The Rutles)

ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS: (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea (Radar [UK], single)

NICK LOWE: I Don't Want The Night To End (Stiff [Belgium], single)

DOCTOR AND THE MEDICS: Barbara Can't Dance (IRS [UK], Laughing At The Pieces)

THE FLESHTONES: Living Legends (Big Beat [UK], Powerstance!)

THE BEATLES: Every Little Thing (Apple [Japan], Beatles VI)

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THE CARL'S ON INTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY! SET

THE UGLY DUCKLINGS: Nothing (Yorktown [Canada], The Ugly Ducklings)

THE SEARCHERS: I Don't Want To Be The One (Sequel [UK], 30th Anniversary Collection)

THE KINGS: This Beat Goes On/Switchin' (Extreme [Canada], single)

THE SWINGING BLUE JEANS: What Can I Do Today, (EMI [UK], The Best Of The EMI Years)

R.E.M.: Academy Fight Song (Bucketfull Of Brains [UK], single [with magazine purchase])

THE LONG RYDERS: Anarchy In The U.K. (Prima [UK], Metallic B.O.)

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SUZI QUATRO: I May Be Too Young (RAK [France], single)

HOLLY AND JOEY: I Got You Babe (Virgin [UK], single)

THE CREATION: Biff Bang Pow (Line [Germany], We Are Paintermen)

THE CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND: Medication (Eva [France], Let's Talk About Girls)

JOY DIVISION: Love Will Tear Us Apart (Factory [UK], single)

GREG KIHN: Future Girl (Beserkley [Germany], VA: Bezerk Times)

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THE YARDBIRDS: Ha! Ha! Said The Clown (Fame [UK], Little Games)

SIMPLY SAUCER: She's A Dog (Pig [Canada], single)

THE BARRACUDAS: Grammar Of Misery (Closer[ France], Mean Time)

MYSTICS: Valley Of Indecision (Lolita [France]. Dandies Are Back)

CARLENE CARTER: Love Is A 4 Letter Verb (Warner Brothers [Germany], Blue Nun)

BLONDIE: Rip Her To Shreds (Chrysalis [UK]. 12" single)

MAKIN' TIME: Feels Like It's Love [extended version] (Countdown [UK], 12" single)

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THE CLASH: Capital Radio (CBS [UK], The Cost Of Living EP)

JOHNNY THUNDERS: MIA (Jungle [UK], Que Sera, Sera)

THE RAMONES: Street Fighting Man (Beggars Banquet [UK], 12" single)

SQUIRE: The Life (Hi-Lo [UK], ...Get Smart!)

THE JAM: All Over The World (Polydor [UK], single)

CHERRY VANILLA: The Punk (RCA Victor [UK, Bad Girl)

PAUL McCARTNEY: Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Melodia [USSR], Choba B CCCP)

SEGARINI: Gotta Have Pop (Bomb [Canada], Gotta Have Pop)

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THE BEATLES: Cry For A Shadow (Contour [UK], The Beatles Featuring Tony Sheridan)

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1248

Our Featured Performer this week is the late, great Greg Kihn, with performances by Kihn and the Greg Kihn Band, an example of Kihn's collaboration with guitar hero Joe Satriani, and Kihn singing backup on Jonathan Richman's "Roadrunner," plus Joan Jett and the Blackhearts with "Be Straight," a song co-written by Kihn (with Jett and her manager Kenny Laguna). We filled out the rockin' pop radio party with all sorts of our expected and prerequisite shots of sonic bliss, new and old. But the show is dedicated to the memory of Greg Kihn.

I interviewed Kihn for Goldmine magazine in 1995. The resulting article was published in Goldmine's power pop issue in January of 1996. You can read the entire article here, but I want a few lines from the end of that piece entered into the official TIRnRR record:

"Ten years ago, I was a rock star," said Kihn, "with a # 1 record, [NOTE: # 2, actually--damn, that Michael Jackson and his "Beat It!."], and just cruisin' through life with a model wife, drivin' a sports car. 

"Now here it is, 10 years later. I'm not a rock star. I'm Greg Kihn. You know, Greg Kihn transcends rock star," Kihn claimed, laughing. "I mean, it's not like I'm trying to be anything. You know, me playing the role of a rock star was just not me. If you give me a million bucks, I'd still wear a T-shirt and jeans, I'd still drive a crappy car. I'm just that kind of guy. I still go to the used bookstore, for Christ's sake, even though I could afford new books. I like finding old '50s paperbacks of Harlan Ellison and stuff. I got a couple of bookstores out here in San Francisco I go to that specialize in the good stuff, the stuff you're not going to find at Waldenbooks. There's a great literary tradition out here in San Francisco, from the Beats on. And it's really interesting when you walk down the streets of North Beach and it's raining, and you get that Jack Kerouac kind of feel."

Ultimately, it's clear that Kihn has held on to the sheer enthusiasm and elusive sense of wonder that lies at the heart of the greatest rock, pop, and soul. "When I'm an old man," said Kihn, "and I tell my grandchildren that I was a rock and roll star in the '70s and '80s in California--you know, it's a magical thing. And it'd be like being a big band leader during the Goodman era, or being a rockabilly cat in Memphis in the '50s. I mean, it's just a magical time. I never get over it, that I was in the right place at the right time, and it's just a great thing. And when I look back on all this shit," Kihn said with one more laugh, "It just seems so cool."

Everyman. Pop star. Godspeed, Greg Kihn. This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

Hey, NEXT WEEK! It's The 13th Annual DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT! Attendance is mandatory. 

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 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 # 1248: 8/25/2024

TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Tracks we think we ain't played before are listed in bold.

THE GREG KIHN BAND: Reunited (Beserkley, Kihntagious)

THE RUBINOOS: I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (Castle, Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The Rubinoos But Were Afraid To Ask)

LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: Hello Operator (Big Stir, single)

NRBQ: I Got A Rocket In My Pocket (Omnivore, All Hopped Up)

ELENA ROGERS: I Feel Alive (Eats Dynamite, Prelude To Whatever)

ALEX CHILTON: She Might Look My Way [Take 2] (Cherry Red, VA: Looking For The Magic: American Power Pop In The Seventies)

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THE ARMOIRES: Snake Island Thirteen (Big Stir, THE ARMOIRES/ROY KRANK: Songs For Ukranian Independence Day)

BLUE ASH: Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her) (Collectors' Choice Music, No More, No Less)

GREG KIHN: Hurt So Bad (Beserkley, Greg Kihn Again)

EARTH QUAKE: Friday On My Mind (Cherry Red, VA: VA: Looking For The Magic: American Power Pop In The Seventies)

JUNIPER: Alone With You (Confidential Recordings, She Steals Candy)

THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: You Tore Me Down (Grown Up Wrong!, Between The Lines)

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THE ANDERSON COUNCIL: She Steals Candy (unreleased)

RICHARD LLOYD: Should Have Known Better (Cherry Red, VA: Looking For The Magic: American Power Pop In The Seventies)

ARETHA FRANKLIN: Save Me (Atlantic, I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You)

SPARKS: I Like Girls [Bearsville version] (Cherry Red, VA: Looking For The Magic: American Power Pop In The Seventies)

THE GREG KIHN BAND: Happy Man (Beserkley, Kihntinued)

FUMBLE: Not Fade Away (Cherry Red, VA: Oh! You Pretty Things: Glam Queens And Street Urchins 1970-76)

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GREG KIHN: For You (Beserkley, Greg Kihn Again)

THE BEAT: Don't Wait Up For Me (Wagon Wheel, The Beat)

DENNIS SCHOCKET AND CLIFF HILLIS: Here Comes Joanna (n/a, Pop, Girls, Etc.)

BE-BOP DELUXE: Teenage Archangel (Cherry Red, VA: Oh! You Pretty Things: Glam Queens And Street Urchins 1970-76)

sparkle*jets u.k.: Love Burn (Big Stir, Box Of Letters)

THE ASSOCIATION: Blistered (Collectors' Choice Music, And Then Along Comes...The Association)

--

JON FLYNN: Game You're Playing (Kool Kat Musik, Cherry Cherry)

THE MOSQUITOS: I'll Just Hide (Kool Kat Musik, This Then Are The Mosquitos!)

GREG KIHN: Any Other Woman (Beserkley, Greg Kihn)

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: Forgotten Man (Reprise, Hypnotic Eye)

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

X-RAY SPEX: I Can't Do Anything (Sanctuary, Germfree Adolescents)

--

THE HALF/CUBES: Make You Cry (Big Stir, Pop Treasures)

TOM CURLESS AND THE 46 %: I'm The Man Who Murdered Love (Futureman, VA: Garden Of Earthly Delights--An XTC Celebration [digital version])

JOHNATHAN RICHMAN: Roadrunner (Ariola, VA: Geef Voor New Wave)

HALF-LIFE: Get Down (Big Beat, VA: A-Square [Of Course])

TAMAR BERK: You Trigger Me (n/a, Good Times For A Change)

PIXIES: Here Comes Your Man (4AD, Pixies)

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The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE GREG KIHN BAND: The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em) (Beserkley, Rockihnroll)

TRACEY ULLMAN: Breakaway (Rhino, You Broke My Heart In 17 Places: The Best Of Tracey Ullman)

ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN: What Happened (To The Rock 'n' Roll?) (n/a, Records)

BILLY BURNETTE: Rockin' L.A. (Columbia, Billy Burnette)

THE RAMONES: Rockaway Beach (Rhino, Rocket To Russia)

BRINSLEY SCHWARZ: Everybody (Decal, It's All Over Now)

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THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS: Time Has Come Today (Columbia, The Time Has Come: The Best Of The Chambers Brothers)

THE MANIACS: Now I Know (Arf! Arf!, VA: Yeah Yeah Yeah)

THE BEATLES: From Me To You (Apple, Please Please Me)

GREG KIHN: Sorry (Beserkley, Next Of Kihn)

HERMAN'S HERMITS: A Must To Avoid (EMI, Singles Collection +)

THE POPPEES: She's Got It (Bomp!, Pop Goes The Anthology)

--

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS: Be Straight (Blackheart, I Love Rock N' Roll)

RICHARD HELL AND THE VOIDOIDS: Blank Generation (Sire, Blank Generation)

THE MONKEES: (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone (Rhino, More Of The Monkees)

THE MIAMIS: We Deliver [alternate version] (Omnivore, We Deliver: The Lost Band Of The CBGB Era [1974-1979])

BILLY OCEAN: L.O.D. (Love On Delivery) (Varese Sarabande, VA: Soulful Pop)

THE MIGHTY LEMON DROPS: Hear Me Call [demo] (Cherry Red, Inside Out: 1985-1990)

GREG KIHN [WITH JOE SATRIANI]: Love And Rock And Roll (EMI America, Love And Rock And Roll)

THE PRETENDERS: Precious [Regent Park demo] (Rhino, Pirate Radio 1979-2005)

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THE GREG KIHN BAND: Testify (Beserkley, Kihntinued)

THE MONKEES: For Pete's Sake [TV version] (Rhino, Headquarters [& More])