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 # 1275
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ROBERTA FLACK: Killing Me Softly With His Song
When news broke that Roberta Flack had died, my wife wondered whether or not Dana and I would consider any of Flack's work sufficiently within this little mutant radio show's hypothetical format. No worries; I've always loved "Killing Me Softly With His Song," and I gave it a chapter in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):
"...Roberta Flack's 1973 hit "Killing Me Softly With His Song" presents a haunting mix of smooth 'n' silky delivery with an exposed vulnerability bordering on the outer suburbs of paranoia. It was an unforgettable component of my prime AM radio-listening era...."
And I say it fits in perfectly with whatever the hell it is that we do here. Rest in peace, Ms. Flack.
THE CYNZ: Heartbreak Time
New music from the Cynz?. Yes, please. From their forthcoming album, "Heartbreak Time" joins previous TIRnRR Fave Rave "Woman Child" as an effective shill for the next Cynz long-player. "Heartbreak Time" crushes its TIRnRR debut this week, and it spins again on the radio in Syracuse this coming Sunday night.
(I don't think the Cynzs have made a public announcement of the title for their new album. I say it should be Forgive Us Father, We Have CYNZ!! Rock 'n' roll absolution awaits.)
The SAMMYs (Syracuse Area Music Awards) are tonight, and each of the above albums has been nominated for an award. The Half/Cubes' Pop Treasures is up for recognition in the Best Rock category, Harmonic Dirt's Tumbleweeds is in Best Americana, and Modafferi's The Production is in Best Alternative. All great choices, well worthy of acclaim. The Half/Cubes' remake of the Rubinoos' pop treasure "The Girl" has the added oomph of studio assistance from members of the 'Rubes themselves.
And we've been playing all of these on TIRnRR. Dana and I grew up hearing Syracuse music on the radio, AM and FM, seeing local bands in clubs, buying their 45s, cassettes, LPs, and CDs at area record stores. Syracuse is a great place to be a fan of music. Best of luck to the Half/Cubes, Harmonic Dirt, and Modafferi, and we hope to see to a bunch of Syracuse music fans at the SAMMYs tonight.
(Dana and I will be among the celebrity presenters at this year's SAMMYs, proving once again that Syracuse has a very loose definition of "celebrity." The SAMMYs take place at The Palace Theatre on James Street, with doors opening at 6 pm and show commencing at 7 pm. If you can't be there in person, you can see the free livestream at the SAMMYS Facebook page.)
THE GO-GO'S: We Got The Beat
The Greatest Record Ever Made!
BADFINGER: Keep Believing
This week's show was already fully programmed and recorded before we learned of the passing of Badfinger's Joey Molland. It will surprise no one that we happened to have a Badfinger track on this playlist anyway.
"Keep Believing" comes to us from the recent release of Badfinger's previously-unreleased 1974 album Head First. Like most of Badfinger's best-known songs ("No Matter What," "Baby Blue," and "Day After Day"), "Keep Believing" was written by Pete Ham. Molland was no longer in the band by this time. We'll put a specific spotlight on Molland's work on our next show, and we'll also salute the late, great New York Dolls frontdoll David Johansen.
It pains us to have to bid farewell to so many of our heroes so goddamned often. Nevertheless: We keep believing.
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My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.
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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