Thursday, May 15, 2025

Fake THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Playlist: Live acts I witnessed earlier in their timeline

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.

Repeating the intro to yesterday's fake playlist: No one will think it a revelation if I admit that my mind has an occasional tendency to wander, nor will anyone be surprised to learn these vagabond thoughts are often set to music. The other day, my mental hike scampered over to memories of rockin' pop artists I witnessed in live performance. The strolling fancy led to thoughts of how great it was to see the original line-up of the Animals reunited on stage in the early '80s, and what a blast it was to see the Ramones' original line-up touring with the Runaways in '78, and, of course, all of the Monkees (albeit in increments of no more than three Monkees at a time) and....and...and....

Well, that little jog through notions and concert recollections compelled me to compile two imaginary playlists: One celebrating acts I saw in concert at a relatively earlier stage of their career, and one all about acts I first caught in person a decade or more after the release of their first recordings. 

There was overlap, and some of the borders were blurred or gray. But what the hell--I'm not under oath. And the music-lovin' mind's gotta go where the music-lovin' mind's gotta go.

Yesterday's post gathered tracks by veteran acts I witnessed in live performance when they were, um...veterans. Experienced! Today we listen to a few rockin' pop stars I caught a bit earlier in their timeline, along with one set of combos for whom I couldn't settle on a category. 

(For that in-betweeners set: I saw the Clash on the deservedly-panned Cut The Crap tour, and the Stray Cats on a reunion tour that wasn't all that many years from their hitmaking days. I've seen the Grip Weeds three times so far; they've been around and active for a while, but they feel like a current band to me. The Bevis Frond was a veteran unit by the time I saw them in the '90s, but they were new to me. The Skeletons, the Saints, the Fleshtones, and the Burns Sisters didn't seem to quite fit into either category.)

So today: Here's some youngsters I'm sure are gonna go far. Bright lights beckon. Showtime!

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/

Fake TIRnRR Playlist: Live acts I witnessed earlier in their timeline

PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION: Let's Go Crazy
KISS: Rock And Roll All Nite
THE RAMONES: Oh Oh I Love Her So
ARTFUL DODGER: Wayside
THE RUNAWAYS: Queens Of Noise
RED ROCKERS: China
--
ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS: You Belong To Me
LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH: Dance With Me
THE RECORDS: Paint Her Face
JOE JACKSON: Sunday Papers
THE PRETENDERS: The Wait
TALKING HEADS: Once In A Lifetime
--
THE BANGLES: The Real World
THE REPLACEMENTS: Bastards Of Young
CULTURE CLUB: Church Of The Poisoned Mind
LET'S ACTIVE: Blue Line
THE VIPERS: Tears (Only Dry)
SHEILA E: The Glamorous Life
--
THE FAST: Kids Just Wanna Dance '77
THE REDUCERS: Let's Go
THE RESTLESS: I Wanna Know
THE GEORGIA SATELLITES: Battleship Chains
DAVID JOHANSEN: Cool Metro
THE BRANDOS: Gettysburg
--
BLOTTO: She's Got A Big Boyfriend
THE TREMBLERS: I'll Be Taking Her Out Tonight
LYRES: Help You Ann
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS: Cherry Bomb
CHARLIE: She Loves To Be In Love
THE WAITRESSES: I Know What Boys Like
--
NEW MATH: Die Trying
COCKEYED GHOST: About Jill
THE JOE PERRY PROJECT: Let The Music Do The Talking
DOG PARTY: Operator
THE dB'S: Love Is For Lovers
KYLE VINCENT: Wake Me Up (When The World's Worth Waking Up For)
--
LIVING COLOUR: Glamour Boys
KATE JACOBS: Now They're Here
WANG CHUNG: To Live And Die In L.A.
DIGBY: Spirit
CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: Annalisa
WILLIE NILE: It's All Over
--
THE IN-BETWEENERS (Acts witnessed within the vast range between rookie and veteran)
THE CLASH: London's Burning
THE GRIP WEEDS: Every Minute
THE SKELETONS: Trans Am
THE SAINTS: Just Like Fire Would
THE FLESHTONES: Let's See The Sun
THE BURNS SISTERS: No More Silence
THE BEVIS FROND: He'd Be A Diamond
THE STRAY CATS: Rock This Town
--
THE STRAWBERRY ZOTS: And You (Drive Your Pretty Car)
999: Homicide
MARY LOU LORD: Aim Low
THE CHESTERFIELD KINGS: I Can Only Give You Everything
TOMMY CONWELL AND THE YOUNG RUMBLERS: I'm Not Your Man
THE WEATHER GIRLS: It's Raining Men
THE NATIVES: Tell Me A Story
THE FLASHCUBES: No Promise
--
WEIRD AL YANKOVIC: Yoda

No comments:

Post a Comment