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 # 1302.
THE HALF/CUBES FEATURING PETER NOONE: I'll Be Taking Her Out Tonight
This new single by the Half/Cubes featuring Peter Noone finds the Herman's Hermits singer revisiting his early '80s work fronting the ace new wave rockin' pop combo the Tremblers. This is not something Noone revisits very often, and the fact that he's participated in a new and effervescent remake of my favorite Tremblers tune is righteous cause for joy 'n' merriment in these quarters.
The single serves as herald to the new Half/Cubes album Found Pearls, due in October from Jem Records. I would tell you more about it. except that it's too early for me to tell you more about it. But I've heard it and it's fabulous. I was among several friends of the band and the label that were asked for an opinion of what oughta be the first focus track. I replied:
"To me, the obvious commercial choice is 'I'll Be Taking Her Out Tonight.' It almost doesn't matter whether or not it's one of the album's best tracks (though it does happen to be among them); Peter Noone's involvement is noteworthy to begin with, but the idea of him returning to a track he did with the Tremblers is--what's the phrase?--a big fucking deal. Man, Robbie Rist just mentioned the Tremblers on his podcast a couple of weeks ago, lamenting the fact that Peter never, ever re-visits that album or era. This is a friggin' home run, and it feels like a natural pick for a focus track."
More hype to come. Enjoy this friggin' home run in the meantime.
THE TURTLES: Elenore
With the passing of Mark Volman of the Turtles, our next show will pay tribute to Flo & Eddie (Volman with long-time collaborator and fellow Turtle Howard Kaylon) as our Featured Performers. We still wanted to squeeze a Turtles spin into this week's program as well, and we opted for one of the hits: "Elenore," written by the Turtles themselves as their snarky response to White Whale Records label suits demanding the group do another frothy 'n' frolicsome pop ditty like "Happy Together." The Turtles (really Kaylon) wrote "Elenore" as a satire of "Happy Together."
The Turtles did not intend anyone to take the deliberately goopy, over-the-top lyrics of "Elenore" seriously, nor as anything other than a grumpy middle digit flashed at their label. But White Whale loved it, released it at 45 RPM, and it became one of the group's biggest smashes. That's show biz.
THE FLASHCUBES: Reminisce
With the release of the new Half/Cubes single (and the promise of more), plus the release of the various-artists blockbuster Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, right now is a really, really good time for fans of all Cubic pop. The Flashcubes' rhythm section of bassist Gary Frenay and drummer/producer Tommy Allen are the central figures in the Half/Cubes, and they established their once and future power pop legend alongside guitarists Paul Armstrong and Arty Lenin. The Flashcubes. Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse, and an incredibly important act in my life.
That's why I wanted to organize a Flashcubes tribute album: 21 great acts covering 21 great original Flashcubes songs, bolstered by three brand-new tracks from the Flashcubes themselves. Paul Armstrong's "Reminisce" was the first single, and it's the leadoff track on Make Something Happen!
It's also my favorite song of 2025. All I want to do is reminisce with you. Hey-ho, let's go. Reminiscing isn't all I wanna do, but the foundation built by our past gives us a platform to race into whatever comes next.
THE JOHNNY POPSTAR LUV EXPLOSION: Guess I'm Just A Friendly Guy [alternate mix--Flo & Eddie's Zappa characters]
The Flo & Eddie tribute on our next show will skip the Turtles' biggest hits, delving a tiny bit deeper into a quartet of lower-charting singles and LP tracks from a great group that was so much more than just their best-known singles. Alas, that means "Elenore" will have the weekend off, showing how to be exactly what she'd be with whomever she'd rather be, happy together.
One track will will play again in our Flo & Eddie feature is this alternate mix of "Guess I'm Just A Friendly Guy" by the Johnny Popstar Luv Explosion. The track (from the EP Lizzy The Supermarket Drag Queen) was a frequent fixture on our playlists back 'round the turn of the century, and although Flo & Eddie did also sing back-up on the non-alternate mix, we favored this mix, with Flo & Eddie reprising the willfully whiny voices they used as member of the Mothers with Frank Zappa. And we're gonna play it again on Sunday night.
THE TREMBLERS: You Can't Do That
Oh yes you CAN! At the dawn of the 1980s, when Peter Noone wanted to try to establish a more (for lack of a better description) serious rock 'n' roll image separate from cute 'n' cuddly 'Erman of the 'Ermits, he formed his crack combo the Tremblers. Because he COULD do that! Great live band, great album called Twice Nightly, and ultimately a great lost opportunity, as the only thing it couldn't do was get the record-buying public on board. Stupid record-buying public.
Peter and the Tremblers deserved better. "You Can't Do That" is the first track on Twice Nightly, and it sets the album's tone with defiant, confident aplomb. It's my second-favorite Tremblers track, right after "I'll Be Taking Her Out Tonight," followed closely by "Maybe I'll Stay" and "I Screamed Anne" and "Wouldn't I" and "Steady Eddie" and the cover of Elvis Costello's "Green Shirt" and...the whole damned record. Twice Nightly is superb. With the Tremblers, Peter Noone could for damned sure do that.
And he did.
EYTAN MIRSKY: Apologize In Advance
What do we do when we get brand-new music from Brother Eytan Mirsky? We PLAY that brand-new music from Brother Eytan Mirsky! Obviously. Dana notes that Eytan's new album All Over The Map seems to have something of a country feel to it, and Brother Eytan does indeed bring some winning twang to Forest Hills without ceding an acre or an inch of his Queens-bred Everyman snark. We'll hear more new Mirsky music this Sunday, as Eytan covers Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin and Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin cover Eytan Mirsky. We ARE the world!
PERILOUS: Glass Of Something
I propose a toast: Here's to another absolutely ace new single from the irresistible force known as Perilous. Glass of something? Set 'er up, and here's to ya.
HERMAN'S HERMITS: A Must To Avoid
The Greatest Record Ever Made!
BALLZY TOMORROW: Five Personalities
From Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes: Noted Tremblers fan Robbie Rist and his Ballzy Tomorrow dba take on one of my many favorite Flashcubes originals. From Half/Cubes featuring Peter Noone to the Tremblers to Robbie Rist to the Flashcubes and back to Robbie Rist; this week's edition of 10 Songs has just about completed the fullness of its circle.
HERMAN'S HERMITS: I'm Into Something Good
That's us. That's us all over. Getting into The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet is, by definition, getting into something good.
If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.
I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. 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. You can read about our history here.
No comments:
Post a Comment